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The Gift of a Word of Wisdom

Although the gift of a word of wisdom is one of the most needed gifts, it may be one of the most overlooked in the body of Christ. We are overrun with factual knowledge and prophetic revelation, but we often lack the wisdom to know what to do with them!

I love Sam Storms’ definition of the gift of a word of wisdom. He suggests that it may be “the ability to articulate life-changing insights into God’s mysterious, saving purposes for mankind, both on a global plane as well as in application to individuals.” The reason I appreciate this par­ticular slant on the gift is that it emphasizes the giving aspect more than the receiving aspect. The gift of a word of wisdom enables people to speak clearly and compellingly about God’s all-wise purposes, conveying His loving guidance to whole governments (as Joseph did in Egypt) as well as to individuals within the church.

The gift of a word of wisdom is a vital adjunct to both the gift of a word of knowledge and the gift of prophecy. For example, when prophets are predicting times of upheaval and desperation, we need God’s wise spokespeople to help us understand what to do. The church needs to provide God’s solutions, not just diagnose the problems (which the world already spends most of its time doing). We are supposed to be solution people, not problem people.

On a personal level, you need God’s wisdom to carry you through all of the ups and downs of your daily life. 

The fact is, you can never have too much wisdom!

Kinds of Wisdom

Wisdom That Resolves Conflicts

Scripture abounds with examples of the gift of wisdom in action. One of the most famous displays of true wisdom was Solomon’s decision about a dispute over a baby. (See 1 Kings 3:16–28.) Previously, Solomon had asked God to give him wisdom and knowledge to rule the Israelites well, which God granted him. (See 2 Chronicles 1:8–12.) The word of wisdom he gave regarding the baby solved an unsolvable conflict and caused all of the people to respect him for it. Justice prevailed. This conflict-resolving gift is just as important today as it was in the past, and God is still offering His wisdom to those who seek Him. 

Wisdom That Confounds Deception

In the New Testament, the Pharisees were trying to trip Jesus up, so they asked Him whether or not it was lawful to pay the hated poll tax to Caesar. They thought they had Him this time, because they knew there could be no perfect answer to the question. Jesus perceived (discerned) that they intended to trap Him. Jesus did not meet the Pharisees on their level; He met them with wisdom they did not know existed, wisdom from a superior plane, and He threw them off successfully, leaving them puzzling as to how He did it. (See Matthew 22:18–22.)

The gifts of the Spirit are like the colors of the rainbow, blending together as needed to achieve the end result. Here, we see the gifts of discerning of spirits and wisdom blending seamlessly.

Wisdom That Solves Problems

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the brand-new church relied on the gift of a word of wisdom again and again. They depended on the Spirit for direction. That’s how the role of deacons was “invented.” Scripture does not say, “The apostles started looking for strong volunteers who had the gift of helps/service.” Instead, undoubtedly guided by wisdom from on high, they advised the people to look for men who had the gift of wisdom who could take care of the distribution of food to the widows. (See Acts 6:2–3.) I find it fascinating that they specifically wanted high-caliber men of wisdom to perform practical tasks.

Receiving and Releasing a Word of Wisdom

When we receive wisdom, we may “hear” the Spirit’s voice as no more than a divine impression, perceived in our heart through spiritual intuition, like a quiet “nudge.” This is the way the early apostles were led, too, as we can see from the life of Paul. (See Acts 16:6–7; Acts 20:22.) For Paul and his companions, the Spirit did not say, “Thou shalt not!” from the midst of a thundercloud. His guiding hand was not obvious, but they had learned to be as sensitive to His subtle pressures as well-trained, obedient horses are to the slight tugs and pulls of their masters’ reins.

Many times, wisdom will come to us in a little more direct manner—some word or line of Scripture speaks specifically to our situation; it comes alive, as if God were speaking directly to us (which He is). This is called a “quickened” word from the Lord. Here is an example. After Peter had brought some Gentiles to the faith, which distressed the members of the church who were staunchly Jewish, James quoted the prophet Amos to defend him. In the book of Acts, Luke recorded how he rendered a wise decision based on that word of Scripture. (See Acts 15:13–19, quoting Amos 9:11–12.)

Of course, internal nudges and scriptural guidance are not the only ways the Holy Spirit shares God’s will with His people. Sometimes, He sends an angel, as He did when Paul was on board the storm-lashed ship that looked like it was going to sink. (See Acts 27:21–24.)

God may send a word of wisdom by means of a vision or a dream (a vision received during sleep). This is how the Spirit reassured Paul when he was working in Corinth: “The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city’” (Acts 18:9–10).

Wisdom often concerns future events and developments, but it does not foretell them as much as it supplies insights, revelations, commands, and instructions that arise out of God’s knowledge of those upcoming circumstances.

When God sends us His wisdom for a situation, He is helping to direct our steps. He wants us to cooperate with Him for the sake of spreading His kingdom on earth; this cooperation can span every category of human involvement, from personal health decisions to international war alliances. This is why the gift of a word of wisdom can sometimes only be exercised corporately, such as when leaders discuss and work together to arrive at a decision by consensus. They take counsel together, which is good, because “in a multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6 NKJV). This keeps headstrong individuals from taking off in the wrong direction and dragging other people with them. We see this method of wisdom-seeking in the accounts of the early church, as “the apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter” (Acts 15:6 NRSV). (See also Acts 6:1–7; 15:1–31; 21:15–25.)

When any one of us asks for wisdom from above, we should expect to receive it. (See James 1:5–8.) This spirit of wisdom is available to us all through Christ. Additionally, those who have been given the consistent gift of a word of wisdom will be able to cultivate an ongoing supernatural flow of divine understanding that can greatly benefit the body of Christ and the world at large.