Some time ago, the Lord led me to provide reflections for our church council. One of them had to so with seeking the Lord’s wisdom. Reflecting on the process, I was led from James to Solomon:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB)

But what does it look like to ask for, and receive, God’s wisdom? Solomon is a great example to consider, and gives us an idea in one of his proverbs:

For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3‐5 NASB)

Really seeking God’s wisdom requires us to cry out to Him, literally referring to raising our voices so they carry. If we don’t get it at first, we are to cry louder. Seeking wisdom is also compared to seeking silver, not an easy task 3000 years ago. It requires serious effort, and a dedication to finding the treasure.

We can gain further insight from Solomon by looking at his writings in Ecclesiastes. Often, we can tell when something is important in Scripture when it is repeated. Consider these passages:

Ecc 1:13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom …
Ecc 1:14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, …
Ecc 1:17 And I set my mind to know wisdom …
Ecc 2:11 Thus I considered all my activities …
Ecc 2:12 So I turned to consider wisdom, …
Ecc 3:16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun …
Ecc 3:22 I have seen that nothing is better …
Ecc 4:1 Then I looked again …
Ecc 4:4 I have seen that …
Ecc 4:7 Then I looked again …
Ecc 4:15 I have seen …
Ecc 5:13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen …
Ecc 6:1 There is an evil which I have seen …
Ecc 7:15 I have seen everything during my lifetime …
Ecc 7:23 I tested all this with wisdom, …
Ecc 7:25 I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, …
Ecc 7:27 “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, …”
Ecc 8:9 All this I have seen and applied my mind …
Ecc 9:13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, …

Solomon obviously studied a lot, paid attention to what he saw, and spent time and effort considering it. If he had to put forth this much effort, what should we expect for ourselves?

Diligently studying the Word is one way to start. When we prayerfully consider passages of Scripture in detail, it gives us an opportunity to grow in Godly wisdom for ourselves. We must not simply accept other human teaching without practicing discernment, and we should even reflect the Berean’s attitude. But it requires much prayer and effort to do this. When we put forth this effort in searching and prayer, we are asking God to speak to us.