For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9).
Paul was writing to believers who received Jesus into their hearts. They understood that portion of God’s Will, yet Paul is praying that they would be filled with the knowledge of His Will.
This shows us that God’s Will for our lives is more than being born again. Most Christians stop wanting to know God’s Will after salvation. They miss the critical part Paul was praying for the Colossians to receive: wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Do you ever wonder why God put specific prayers in the Bible for all of eternity? It’s because He wants us to be praying those prayers today! My prayer for you and your prayer for you should be that you would be filled with the knowledge of His Will, but not just that, but that you would also have all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
If you fill a container to its maximum capacity, how much more room is there for anything else? Our lives should be so full of God’s Will that nothing else can fit inside; that no false doctrine can wiggle its way, no doubt can nestle in, nothing.
Again, it wasn’t enough for them to be filled with only the knowledge of His Will. He prayed that they would have wisdom and spiritual understanding accompany it. There is a difference between understanding something naturally and understanding something spiritually.
Proverbs 4:7 tells us to get wisdom and, with all of our getting, get understanding. This tells me that if we have to get them, we don’t have them. Stephanie and I had to go to the grocery store yesterday to get a few supplies. The profound revelation was that we didn’t have them at the house, so we had to get them!
Why do we need to get wisdom and understanding? Knowledge is not enough. Breaking it down in its simplest form, knowledge is information. You could say that knowledge is the what. But then understanding comes into play, and that’s the why. For those of you with kids, you know that dreaded question that always arrives at the wrong time from your kid’s mouth; “But why?”
As a parent of a 16-month-old, I prepare myself for those conversations. I am not against my son asking why as long as it’s on the way to obedience. God isn’t against asking why when He tells us something we need to know as long as it’s on the way to obedience. But sometimes, with our kids, they only need to hear “Because I said so.”
If knowledge is the what and understanding is the why, then wisdom is the how. It’s not enough to know the knowledge of God’s Will but not how to accomplish it. That is where wisdom is here to help us.
So, how do we find wisdom?
Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city (Proverbs 1:20-21).
Let’s point something out here. Wisdom is referred to as a “she.” Sorry, husbands, but your wife is always right. In all seriousness, I find that most of the time, my wife is the voice of reason in my life. She levels me out when I’m overthinking something; even when I know (that I think) I’m right, I always find myself accepting what she says over my own ideas.
But notice something else about wisdom that the proverb depicts. It says wisdom is raising her voice in the open squares and chief concourses. Let’s put this into more familiar terms because I haven’t been at "the chief concourse" in a few months…
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets; She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places] (Amplified Classic).
Notice that there is nothing special about any of these places. It would be a different narrative if wisdom were only in the anointed place or on top of a mountain next to a bald guy with his legs crossed saying, “Ohmmm.”
Wisdom is on the streets where you go, and she’s trying to get your attention. If she has to shout, other voices are also trying to get your attention. She is not only in the streets but also in the markets–plural. I don’t care if you’re in the supermarket or the stock market; whatever market you are in, wisdom is there, too, and she’s trying to lead you to make the best decision.
Proverbs 8 shows that wisdom is at the “crossroads.” Every single day, we face an intersection in our lives. An intersection is a place where you make a decision. Sometimes, those intersections are significant and busy; other times, they are less busy everyday intersections. Regardless of its nature, wisdom is there to help you make the best decision for your life, and most of us ignore her because we think we know best.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12).
Whenever you start a new day, you are presented with choices. Those choices are commonly broken down to “Will I yield to my flesh or will I yield to the spirit?” We might think that we have the experience or the knowledge to make our own decisions and set our own direction, but it could lead to our detriment.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6).
If we start taking the Bible literally, this could save your life someday. We can’t forget that there is a real enemy with an agenda to steal, kill, and destroy us. If we aren’t acknowledging God in everything we do, how will we know what to avoid? On your way to work, acknowledge Him. Ask Him which direction to go, what road to take, what time to leave, etc. It could save your life.
At the grocery store, acknowledge Him. What should you buy? There have been times when we bought milk and brought it home to find out it had expired. If we had acknowledged Him first, wisdom would have been there to direct us.
We will always be faced with decisions, and we need wisdom to make those decisions.
Live in the victory.
Action Step
Take time before you leave for work to pray and ask the Lord to direct every step today, even if it’s small. We can’t trust God to direct our big decisions if we don’t take Him seriously for the small ones.
How Often Do You Acknowledge God In Your Decision Making?
Every Opportunity I Get (Even While Grocery Shopping!)
Only For Big Decisions
It's Been A While Actually 😕
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