Seeking WisdomSample

Application

After four long years of medical school, the day had finally arrived for Ava Ann to step into her role as a medical resident. It was time for her to put into practice the vast amounts of knowledge she had received during her four long years at medical school.  Various pieces of information from over the years muddled together in her mind. Throughout the duration of the remainder of her career, she would be responsible for making crucial decisions, the results of which would drastically affect the lives of those involved. 

She knew that she had been equipped; she was only unsure that she would be able to apply the information she had learned. She knew that the knowledge she had attained wasn’t enough; the accurate application of it was necessary in order to fulfill her responsibilities. The long days and nights of studying arduously would only pay off when that knowledge manifested itself in action. 

The same could be said of any of our professions. The facts only get us so far. Applying the facts with the right technique is what results in a job well done. We consider this a common-sense concept when it comes to our secular lives; yet, applying this to our spiritual lives can sometimes be a daunting task.

Paul knew this all too well, which is why he repeatedly reminded the Philippian church that learning, receiving, hearing and seeing was simply not enough. He challenged them to “practice these things,” knowing fully well that they, just like we, are prone to simply being hearers of the Word, and not doers. Through his letter to the Philippians, he is encouraging us to look beyond the “what” and fervently seek the “how.”  

If we ask God for patience, He gives us opportunities to be patient. If we ask God to increase our inclination for generosity, He gives us opportunities to be generous. In our quest for wisdom, then, we must ask ourselves: does God simply grant wisdom, or does He give us opportunities to be wise with the knowledge He has already granted us? 

 As you go about your day today, ask God to not only bestow you with wisdom, but to open your eyes to the many opportunities He will give you to apply it. And for those of us who worry about whether or not we will be able to apply the right knowledge at the right time, we need only to remind ourselves that “if any of [us] [lack] wisdom, [we] should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault…” (James 1:5).