God’s Way to Health, Wealth, and Wisdom, Part 2

Last time we saw that God’s wisdom is available to us through

This time, we’ll look at two additional ways to find His wisdom: the pursuit of the Scripture and the prayer of the saints.

The Pursuit of Scripture
Solomon, who certainly knew the way to health, wealth, and God’s wisdom, tried to pass this wisdom along to his own son. In Proverbs 2:1-8 he writes:

^“1My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; ²So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  ³Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  ⁴If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  ⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  ⁶For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  ⁷He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

v “My son, if thou wilt receive my words…” (v. 1)

In pursuing Scripture, our first step is to appreciate that we’re handling the richness of God’s Word. Solomon knew he could not force‑feed the rich nuggets found in the Word. But they’re there for the taking, fully accessible to everyone. When he said “receive,” he used a form of the word “hospitality.” Do you put out the welcome mat and bring out the fine china when God’s Word knocks upon the door of your heart?

v “…and hide my com­mandments with thee.” (v. 2)

Not only must we let the Word in; we must let it get down into the recesses of our hearts. We must hide the Word in our hearts.

v “incline thine ear unto wisdom…” (v. 2a)

Incline literally means “to sharpen the hearing.” When God speaks, with every part of our being we should strainto hear what He has to say.

v “apply thine heart to understanding.” (v. 2b)

Wisdom is the Word of God applied to the situation. Only then do we truly have wisdom. We must

Do you want to know God’s way and His wisdom? Then you must be willing to:

v Pray with intensity. “Cry after knowledge; lift up your voice”

These are not mundane, ritualistic prayers! It’s what James described as the “effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man” (James 5:16b). Here is a human being filled with emotion, straining with mind, body, soul, and spirit, to know wisdom by knowing God. God does business with those who mean business.

v Pray with persistence.

Solomon compares this to a search for buried treasure. If you or I had reason to believe a treasure chest was hidden somewhere on our property, I predict we would not give up in our search for it. What if we sought wisdom the way we seek wealth? What impact would we make on the world?

v Pray with expectancy.  

“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:5-6)

Do you recognize the promise in this Proverbs 2 passage? The believer prays with intensity, persistence, and absolute expectancy that God will hear his prayer and grant him wisdom. As we saw last time in James 1:5-6,  

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

Ask with expectancy! Wisdom comes to those who expect God to provide it.

When we come before God asking for wis­dom, He is as pleased as He was when Solomon did. He’s not in the business of keeping His wisdom locked away from us, any more than good parents want their children to be ignorant.

You need wisdom in choosing a school, selecting a career, finding a mate — in every decision! ­He is prepared to pour it out. Diligently pursue the Scriptures, praying as a saint, every moment proceeding in the presence of the Savior. If you’ll do this, the wisdom of Christ will take root within you.