Who can forget the Genie?

Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
…take your order, Jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me

If you were granted one wish, what would you wish for? Maybe you would wish for superpowers. Perhaps fame, money, or love. For many, the answer would be happiness.

There once was a man who was offered a wish by God. God came to King Solomon and offered him whatever he wanted. “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you’” (1 Kings 3:5).

Here it is! The opportunity so many of us have dreamed of: invited to ask for whatever we wish. Solomon, for all his faults, asks for the best wish possible: wisdom. He responds, “Your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:8-9).

With a blank slate, Solomon chose wisdom. And God was pleased.

“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days’” (1 Kings 3:10-14).

What would our lives look like if our wish list didn’t point  toward happiness, a comfortable retirement account, or our love life, but instead toward wisdom? My hunch is that, like Solomon, the other valuable pieces that we didn’t ask for might be thrown in for good measure as well.

What is wisdom?

Wisdom is so much more than knowledge or cleverness. Wisdom is spiritual discernment  given as a gift from God.

Wisdom is about heart posture, not mental acuity. Solomon tells us that heart posture begins with a reverent awe of God, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). Wisdom begins with our relationship with God respectful acknowledgement of who he is.

Paul refers to wisdom as the opening of our spiritual eyes. He prays that God grant the Ephesians, “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:17-18). The Spirit of wisdom is the Holy Spirit’s secret working to bridge the chasm between the deep truths of God and the human heart.

Wisdom is about listening well, using practical skills to deal with people, and expecting the ones who God puts in our path to add richness to our lives. Solomon urges his son to, “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge” (Prov 22:17).

Wisdom is humble. Solomon warns, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8).

Seek wisdom.

Throughout the Proverbs, God is depicted as the personification of wisdom. At one point, Wisdom shares, “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.” (Prov 8:33-34)

There are some who actively reject wisdom.  Many more passively reject wisdom. We don’t ask questions to those who are older and wiser. We lack curiosity when we meet with someone different than us. We numb our minds and hearts with screens. We don’t ask for feedback from discerning members of the audience when we give a presentation or teach a class. When we are offered feedback, we shut down emotionally rather than inquisitively saying, “Tell me more.” We avoid subjects of disagreement with thoughtful friends instead of seeking to understand how they formed different conclusions.

Neglecting wisdom is often found in our mundane inattention rather than explosive rejection. We aren’t intentional with our conversations around mentors God has placed in our lives, neglecting to glean from them wisdom they would readily give. We scroll the inanity of social media instead of reading the hard-earned words of godly men and women.

For this reason, our pursuit of wisdom must begin with our humble pursuit of God.

Holy God, would you grant us “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of [you], having the eyes of [our] hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:17-18). Reveal to us yourself and as you meet with us, turn our folly into wisdom.

Indeed, we ain’t never had a friend like God, a friend who wants for us to request that which he longs to give us: wisdom.

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Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash