What is wisdom and why is it important? 

Wisdom is the state of being wise. It is knowledge of what is right coupled with good judgment and discernment or insight. And a God-listening heart will assure wise decisions. When we use wisdom, it helps us avoid reckless decisions. Lady V and I believe everyone needs wisdom to live skillfully. And a God-listening heart will greatly help one in that process.

So, let’s look at why wisdom is important to our lives as a whole. For instance, the Word of God [The Holy Bible] is filled with wisdom. Therefore, when we read the Word of God, we learn golden nuggets. More specifically, those golden nuggets will light the way and keep us on the right path. 

Furthermore, God uses the wisdom of the past to speak to our present. And you may ask, how does God do that? Well, the answer is clear. God speaks through His Word with the experiences of others. Therefore, when we live our lives, guided by wisdom—we gain insights that help the next generation. Lady V and I agree this happens best when we open our hearts to hear God’s direction. 

The following two scriptures reiterate the importance of wisdom: Proverbs 3:4 says, getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do and whatever else you do develop good judgment. And Proverbs 2:11 it says, wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. 

The perks of wisdom 

Wisdom is the principle thing. Why? Because with wisdom, the perks of wisdom are good judgment, knowledge, and discernment (Proverbs 8:12). An example of this is found in 1 Kings chapters 3 and 4. Because of wisdom, King Solomon was known as the wisest of kings.

Likewise, he followed all the traditions of King David his father. The most important of those traditions was loving and worshiping God. Since Solomon was a young king, he knew he needed wisdom from God to rule and govern the people under his leadership.  

In Luke 10:38 Mary sat at the feet of Jesus as He discussed scripture. She hung on His every word because she knew He was giving insights that would greatly benefit her life. And that is how we're supposed to be. We're supposed to come to God like Mary, like Solomon and sit at his feet; listening to His directions for our lives. 

God is always speaking—are you willing to listen? 

The Word of God is one of many ways to receive wisdom.Photo by Rachel Lynette on Unsplash

Back to King Solomon, he worshiped and sought direction from God. Then God visited him in a dream. He told Solomon that he could have whatever he wanted. But instead of asking for things, Solomon asked for wisdom. In other words, he wanted discernment to know the difference between good and evil.

Specifically, he knew he needed a God-listening heart to rule his nation. Solomon knew he couldn't judge or lead the people without God. So, because God was impressed with the young king’s request—He gave him wisdom and great wealth. King Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest king to ever live. 

In the same vein, we see Solomon operating from a God listening heart in 1 Kings 3. There were two prostitutes who had a dispute about a baby. They brought their case before King Solomon because they wanted him to determine the true mother. The women had given birth three days apart.

The second mother rolled on her baby in the middle of the night. She awoke to her dead baby; she then switched her dead baby for the first mother’s live baby. This was the case presented to King Solomon. 

Just take a moment