by Stephen Judd
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Seeing Life from God’s Point of View
Proverbs is not simply a collection of inspirational sayings. It is a manual for living. It speaks to relationships, speech, finances, leadership, integrity, self-control, and the fear of the Lord.
But Proverbs does more than define wisdom. It invites us onto a path — the path to wisdom.
And that path begins with a question.
If God Asked You…
In 2 Chronicles 1:7, God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
Imagine that moment.
No limits.
No restrictions.
No fine print.
Just you and God.
What would you ask for?
Security?
Financial provision?
Health?
Influence?
Relief from pressure?
Protection for your children?
Solomon had just inherited the throne. He faced political complexity, national responsibility, and enormous expectation. He could have asked for military dominance, long life, or wealth beyond measure.
Instead, he prayed:
“Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10 NKJV)
He did not ask for advantage.
He asked for perspective.
He did not ask for power.
He asked for discernment.
And God responded:
“Because this was in your heart… wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor…” (2 Chronicles 1:11–12 NKJV)
Solomon asked for the right gift with the right heart.
Proverbs 4:7 declares:
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.”
If God were to ask you today, “What shall I give you?” what would your answer reveal about your priorities?
The Wisdom Problem in an Information Age
We are living in the most informed generation in human history.
Information is instantly accessible. We can search, stream, compare, and research in seconds. We have podcasts, commentaries, online courses, and theological libraries at our fingertips.
And yet, despite unprecedented knowledge:
• Marriages fracture.
• Emotions erupt.
• Cultural pressure reshapes convictions.
• Regret follows impulsive decisions.
Our primary problem is not access to information.
It is the absence of wisdom.
Knowledge gathers facts.
Wisdom governs decisions.
Knowledge explains consequences.
Wisdom helps us avoid them.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 says:
“If the ax is dull… he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.” (NKJV)
Many believers are exhausted — not because they lack sincerity or effort — but because they lack perspective. They are reacting instead of reflecting. They are informed, but not anchored.
Which raises a vital question:
What is wisdom?
What Wisdom Really Is
Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view.
It is not merely intelligence.
It is not accumulated data.
It is not quick thinking.
Wisdom is learning to interpret every situation through a God-centered lens.
It asks:
• What honors God here?
• What aligns with His character?
• What reflects His truth?
• What will matter in eternity?
Without that lens, even sincere believers make unwise choices.
And that perspective is not tested in theory.
It is tested in real life.
Two Tests of Wisdom
1. Emotional Reactions
James 1:19 instructs us:
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” (NKJV)
This is wisdom theology.
We live in an instant-response culture. Instant messages. Instant opinions. Instant outrage. But spiritual maturity is rarely instant.
Proverbs 29:11 says:
“A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” (NKJV)
Wisdom does not suppress emotion. It governs it.
Emotion is powerful. And anything powerful must be stewarded carefully.
Most damage in relationships happens between impulse and reflection.
Wisdom pauses.
It filters.
It asks:
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it loving?
Is this the right time?
Knowledge is knowing what to say.
Wisdom is knowing whether to say it.
Sometimes wisdom looks like silence. Sometimes it looks like waiting 24 hours before responding. Sometimes it looks like surrendering the need to prove you are right.
The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). When the Spirit governs your heart, wisdom governs your response.
But emotional pressure is not the only arena where wisdom is tested.
2. Cultural Pressure
If emotional reactions test wisdom quickly, cultural pressure tests it quietly.
Proverbs 14:12 warns:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (NKJV)
Notice the phrase “seems right.”
Cultural compromise rarely announces itself as rebellion. It feels reasonable. It sounds practical. It appears harmless.
The greatest threat to believers is not persecution. It is persuasion.
Not opposition. Assimilation.
Culture asks, “What works?”
Wisdom asks, “What pleases God?”
Knowing what is right is not the same as living wisely.
Wisdom chooses obedience — even when obedience costs.
The Source of Wisdom
If wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view, then we cannot be wise apart from Him.
1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Christ:
“…became for us wisdom from God.” (NKJV)
Christ does not merely give wisdom. He is wisdom embodied.
Colossians 2:3 declares:
“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (NKJV)
Wisdom is not downloaded.
It is not crowdsourced.
It is not manufactured.
It is found in relationship with Christ.
Wisdom is relational before it is instructional.
The closer you walk with Christ, the clearer you see. Drift from Him, and perspective drifts.
Which leads to an important question:
How do we grow in wisdom?
The Path to Wisdom
Wisdom does not fall on us accidentally.
It is cultivated.
1. Relationship — Abiding in Christ
Luke 2:40 says that even Jesus “grew… filled with wisdom.”
If the incarnate Son of God grew in wisdom through fellowship with the Father, how much more must we?
Wisdom grows where intimacy grows.
You cannot neglect prayer and expect clarity. You cannot compartmentalize your spiritual life and expect stability under pressure.
Daily fellowship creates steady instincts.
2. Revelation — Saturation in Scripture
2 Timothy 3:15 tells us that Scripture is able to make us wise.
The Bible does not merely inform. It forms.
Romans 12:2 commands us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
If our thinking is shaped more by social media, news cycles, and workplace conversations than by Scripture, our instincts will reflect culture more than Christ.
Light received leads to more light.
Obedience opens the door to clarity.
Wisdom grows in the soil of obedience.
3. Request — Prayerful Dependence
James 1:5 promises:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.” (NKJV)
Asking requires humility. It means admitting that our instincts may be incomplete.
Prayer for wisdom is not, “Lord, bless what I’ve decided.”
It is, “Lord, correct me if I’m wrong.”
Solomon asked. Paul prayed for believers to receive “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:17 NKJV).
Wisdom is requested before it is revealed.
4. Reverence — The Fear of the Lord
Psalm 111:10 says:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (NKJV)
Wisdom begins in surrender.
The fear of the Lord is not terror. It is reverent awareness — God is holy, present, and worthy of obedience.
Reverence stabilizes us when emotions surge and culture presses in.
It asks a clarifying question:
What will this look like at the judgment seat of Christ?
Reverence produces restraint. And restraint protects the future.
Foundations Revealed
Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with a story (Matthew 7:24–25).
Two men.
Two houses.
Two storms.
Both heard His words.
The difference was obedience.
Storms do not create foundations.
They reveal them.
We do not discover what we believe while everything is calm. We discover it when winds blow, pressure rises, finances tighten, and relationships strain.
In those moments, we do not rise to the level of our intentions.
We fall to the level of our foundation.
Wisdom is not proven by what we know.
It is revealed by what we build on.
Wisdom Is Still Calling
Proverbs 8 portrays wisdom crying out in the streets:
“For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 8:35 NKJV)
Wisdom is not hidden.
The tragedy is not that wisdom is unavailable.
The tragedy is that it is ignored.
The real question is not, “Do I know what is right?”
The real question is, “Will I build on it?”
If God were to ask today, “What shall I give you?” may our answer echo Solomon’s:
“Lord, give me wisdom.”
Because when we learn to see life from God’s point of view, we begin to live it God’s way.
