Lord of My Heart

Lord of my heart, give me wisdom to direct me, that, thinking or acting, I may always discern right from wrong.

For an empty-headed man will be wise, When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.  Job 11:12

When will we, in our natural state, be wise?  When a wild donkey's colt is born a man!

In other words, never.  Wisdom is not something that we have inherently.  But is is something that we want inherently:

Eve desired wisdom.

Genesis 3:6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

We all know what happened after that.  Eve desired that which was forbidden and looked to gain wisdom from the creation, rather than the Creator.

Solomon, too, desired wisdom:

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

 God was pleased with Solomon's request because he was asking for wisdom from the right source and for the right reasons.   And so God blessed him beyond measure.

11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Psalm 9:10 “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
      And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Let Not the Wise His Wisdom Boast

Let not the wise his wisdom boast,
The mighty glory in his might,
The rich in flattering riches trust,
Which take their everlasting flight.

The rush of numerous years bears down
The most gigantic strength of man;
And where is all his wisdom gone,
When dust he turns to dust again?

One only gift can justify
The boasting soul that knows his God;
When Jesus doth His blood apply,
I glory in His sprinkled blood.

The Lord, my Righteousness, I praise,
I triumph in the love divine,
The wisdom, wealth, and strength of grace,
In Christ through endless ages mine.

Charles Wesley. 1762

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Providentially, today's  Spurgeon Devotional is centered around the theme of wisdom, as is my daily chapter of Proverbs.  Follow the links to read more about this subject of wisdom.

Comments

[ellen b.]

Kim these posts would make a great little devotional. thanks for sharing what the Spirit is teaching you..

[Kim from Hiraeth]

Thank you, Ellen, for the encouragement!

I was thinking this morning that, were I to visit these same verses a year from now, I am sure my meditations upon them would be entirely different!

I am gathering all of the posts together on one page that can be accessed by clicking the button in the side bar. If you,or anyone else, would like the code for the button, you have only to ask.