When God gave Solomon one wish, he asked for wisdom so he could carry out his duties as king with God’s wisdom and discernment. The Lord gave Solomon not only wisdom but wealth and honour. Solomon’s fame spread to all the surrounding nations.
He spoke 3000 proverbs and composed 1005 songs. During Solomon’s reign Israel was at the highest point in its history politically, economically and geographically. Ancient Israel’s borders extended to include what is now modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. After Solomon, Israel slowly began to decline.
Solomon’s God-inspired wisdom is recorded in the book of Proverbs. Solomon considered wisdom to be more precious than gold and rubies, better than getting a fortune. The book of Proverbs focuses on two primary themes: It teaches us godly wisdom for right living and it warns us about the destructive nature of wrong living.
What is the pathway to godly wisdom and right living? Answer: Proverbs 3:5-6.
1. “Trust in the Lord, with all your heart.”
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” A foolish person is one who is rebellious against God, who ignores God, or simply refuses to believe God, respect and follow Him.
Wisdom begins with God and having a healthy fear of God. To fear the Lord means to revere Him, to stand in awe of Him and His holiness and power. To fear the Lord is to respect Him too much to want to hurt Him or grieve his loving heart by something we do or say.
Trusting the Lord with all your heart means deciding each and every moment to put the total weight of your faith in the Lord, trusting that He will hold you up.
Faith is like a muscle; it takes time to strengthen it, and the more you exercise it the stronger it grows. God will purposefully create situations in which you can’t do anything in your own strength EXCEPT trust in Him.
2. “Lean not on your own understanding.” Our human perspective is limited, so it is important that we always turn to God and His Word first to make sure our thoughts are in line with God’s thoughts. Believe God is using whatever hardship or difficulty you are facing to prune you, to prepare you for a faith adventure He has for you. You don’t HAVE to understand. God doesn’t always give us answers; He gives us something better—HIMSELF! The tendency to lean on our own understanding will be directly linked to how well we know the Scriptures. READ the Scriptures daily. STUDY the Scriptures. MEDITATE on them. MEMORIZE them. HEAR them taught. SEEK after God’s wisdom as you would seek precious jewels!!
3. “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” Submit to Him. Live with the constant awareness that He is with you and that He wants to help you—not just in lifechanging decisions, but also in the little details of your life. So ask Him for wisdom, courage, and whatever else you need in that moment, believing He will provide.
4. When you do that—when you trust like that and live like that—the Lord “will make your paths straight.” Don’t try to bulldoze down a door that only God can open. God will cut a straight path and clear the road for you and His purpose for you. God will go before you and remove every obstacle of Satan that will prevent you from doing what God calls you to do.