If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:5)

If only we knew what to do: Should I buy that house? Should I take that job? Is this the person I should marry? Some people turn to fortune tellers, some to horoscopes, and some to friends or family. Others heed the worst advice ever given: “Just follow your heart.” The biggest mistakes of our lives probably happened because we were “following our hearts.” So what do we do about those life-altering decisions—or even the smaller ones?  Where do we turn when we want to be wise but we’re not sure what that looks like? God has two words for us: “Ask Me.”

“That’s nice,” we think, “but how do we know when He’s answered? God doesn’t exactly use a cell phone or Facebook Messenger.” We may know we should ask God for wisdom, but that’s where it gets fuzzy, so we must keep a couple of things in mind. First of all, God promises to hear us if we belong to Him. We should believe Him. Second, we must be prepared to act on what He shows us. Sometimes we pray for wisdom, but when don’t get the answer in the timeframe we gave God, we take matters into our own hands. Bad move. He says that when ask for wisdom, we must believe that we have it. We demonstrate that belief by acting on what seems wisest. As we move forward in faith, He will confirm His answer in a variety of ways: godly counsel, scripture, or circumstances. When we are determined to do it His way, He is delighted to guide us.

Final Thought:  Wisdom is seeing life from God’s perspective and acting accordingly. If you need some, ask and then act.

Prayer: Father, I’ve made life a lot harder than it needs to be by trying figure out what I think is best, instead of going with what you say is best. Teach me how to find wisdom and then act on the wisdom you give me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.