For most of my life I have been a computer programmer by trade. I find great delight in taking a blank screen and making something useful on it. However, in a computer program one stray comma or period in the wrong place can lead to hours of troubleshooting.
Often I have been asked to produce something that I had no idea how to create, and no clue how to make it work. I knew the program syntax, but how to put it together absolutely eluded me.
I am going to share a secret with you about how I was able to do many amazing things for my employers and customers. This secret was given to me by a man who worked for one of the largest computer companies in the world. Nobody in the company could figure how to accomplish the programming tasks that would push the company to new horizons. It was finally accepted that it just couldn’t be done.
He told me that night he remembered a Bible verse in the book of James. James 1:5 says “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.” (King James Version). He said that before going to bed, he prayed for wisdom on how this problem could be solved. Incredibly, he dreamed of a solution that woke him up. He got up, wrote the solution on paper, and went back to bed.
In the morning he arrived to work early, tried the solution from his dream, and found that it worked! The company used that solution to vault them to new heights. All from a simple prayer and a Bible promise.
This verse is a wonderful promise and I have proven it many, many times. I would come to a place where I needed wisdom in a computer program. I would ask the Lord for wisdom to accomplish the task, and most of the time right away a light bulb went off and I saw how to do it. Sometimes the answer took longer, but it always came.
Keep in mind that wisdom and knowledge are two different things. Wisdom was how to use the knowledge that I already had about the proper program syntax. Essentially, the wisdom came when I saw how to use my knowledge to make it happen.
Another example is that we have the knowledge to speak words, but many times we need wisdom to know what to say, or how to say anything at all.
Another interesting thought in this verse are the words “upbraideth not” from the King James Version. Have you ever asked someone a question only to have them make you feel stupid for it? Well,”upbraideth not” means that when you ask God for wisdom, he does not do that. Upbraideth means:
- To reproach
- To chide
- To treat with contempt
As a concerned Father, God gives the us wisdom and does not treat us like we’re stupid for asking.
I dare you to try this promise. Look up the verse and get it firmly implanted into your mind. Then, next time you find yourself stopped by a lack of wisdom, ask God to give it to you. My prayer is short and to the point. “Lord, will you give wisdom on how to (whatever I need wisdom for)”.
Remember: Wisdom is not what you know. That is Knowledge. Wisdom is how to use what you know.
We wish you the best in your future endeavors, and I hope that you find the wisdom you seek!
