Stepping into a brisk evening, the dark night loomed ahead. The farther I walked from the lights of the house, the darker my path became in front of me. I knew there was a path in the woods, but I couldn’t clearly see it, until I switched on a flashlight.

Life is like that dark path. Those who seek illumination by their own understanding will wander astray. They’ll find at the end of life, that while they may have accomplished much, it was all in vain.

Which brings us to wisdom. God’s wisdom, found in His Word, is a the lamp unto our feet, and the light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Like a flashlight that floods the terrain ahead of us, God’s Word provides life direction. Without it, we are certain to stumble.

How great is God’s wisdom? How can we obtain wisdom? We’ll begin by examining three realities of God’s wisdom, demonstrating its vast superiority above our own.

1. God’s Wisdom is Infinite. 

How much do we actually know of all there is to know? Even scientists admit that there’s far more to know about the universe, the brain, and the human body, to name a few subjects. Though we are finite, Psalm 147:4-5 says of God, “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Matthew 10:30 says, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

God is infinitely wise and powerful, orchestrating the course of history for His purposes. God was not surprised by Job’s trials; rather, He allowed them. Likewise, God prepared a fish to swallow Jonah at the precise moment. Therefore, nothing in your life ever takes God by surprise.

2. God’s Wisdom is Eternal

God sees the end from the beginning, while we see only a fraction. As Psalm 90 says, “Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” Coming to grips with God’s eternal wisdom helps us trust Him in every perplexity and trial, knowing that He is loving and purposeful in all that He does. 

God not only knows best; He does best. He has the power to fulfill His own perfect will.

Because Joseph understood and relied on God’s eternal wisdom, he could tell his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20). 

3. God’s Wisdom is Sufficient

2 Peter 1:3 says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” God did not simply create man and then leave him to his own devices; God laid out a blueprint for life in His Word.

God’s Word reveals His character and shows man how to become right with his Maker. God’s Word speaks to family, government, work, culture, and all of life, providing answers for our most pressing questions.

Those who trust their own intuition and schemes over God’s wisdom are bound to go astray, as did Jeroboam. Though promised an established kingdom if he remained faithful, Jeroboam instead instituted a pagan religion for the northern tribes which he believed would ensure political stability. God judged his family, and ultimately Israel, as a result.

When we refuse to trust God, leaning instead on our own understanding, it deeply pains His heart. In short, by trusting ourselves, we foolishly declare that we think we know better than God.

How Do We Obtain Wisdom?

We’ve barely skimmed the surface of God’s majestic wisdom, yet the question remains, “How do we gain wisdom?”

As Ecclesiastes 12:13 sums up, wisdom is to “Fear God and keep His commandments.” 

To receive wisdom, we must first stand in reverent awe of God’s greatness, realizing how little we are in comparison. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Proverbs 11:2 says, “With the lowly is wisdom.” Only when we understand our inadequacy in light of God’s greatness, will we ask and seek for wisdom.

Second, to obtain wisdom, we must submit to His Word, searching it out, and obeying its instructions.

The result? Those who follow wisdom can claim the promise of Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

Oh, how we need wisdom! And how ready God is to give it, for He alone is all-wise! “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (I Timothy 1:17).

Question: How does understanding God’s wisdom help us trust and serve Him more?