Spiritual Growth through Prayer for Discernment and Guidance

There are, however, some basic requirements for having our prayer answered. First, James says we have to ask in faith; we have to believe that God will actually give wisdom as generously as He has promised. Wavering unbelief only perpetuates more uncertainty.

Second, it’s clear that we have to be willing to obey the wisdom God gives us. I’ve frequently asked mismatched couples if they sought God’s wisdom before they married. Often they said “no, we just assumed it was God’s will” or they didn’t ask for wisdom because they feared that God would say no to what they wanted to do. That’s not the way we get wisdom from God. Tragically, later in life Solomon himself turned away from the Lord and chose the path of sensual desire rather than the more difficult and honorable path of wisdom.

Finally, the question is: How does God’s wisdom come to us? The wise path is, first and foremost, consistent with the Scriptures. Beyond that, wisdom comes through peace in our minds and hearts that we’re doing the right thing; or wisdom often comes to us through the counsel of another person who God puts in our path. Often, it’s simply making a decision in faith and giving God an opportunity to stop us if we are wrong. He can close or open doors as He leads those who are willing to be led.

Let us pray for wisdom for ourselves or for someone you know who is facing difficult decisions.