Wisdom and Understanding 

As we begin a new year with the Lord, we’re going to begin our year together with a prayer. It’s easy to rush off toward new plans or old worries and forget to begin by simply coming to the Lord first. So, we are going to take the month of January to briefly look at four parts of a prayer Paul records in Colossians 1:9-12 and ask the Lord to shape our hearts and lives this year. The beauty of this prayer is that it gives us specific things to pray for but it’s broad enough to apply to each of our individual circumstances. I pray it helps you to ask the Lord for the right things and prepares you for a blessed year.

Here’s the full prayer: 

Colossians 1:9-12

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” 

Part 1: A Prayer for Wisdom and Understanding (Col 1:9)

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…” 

Observations from Paul’s Prayer

Let’s make two observations about this verse:

1. This is a constant prayer (not a one and done request): “we have not ceased to pray for you…”
2. Paul explains that knowledge of God’s will consists of wisdom and understanding: “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…”  

Definitions

We are not supposed to live by a “feeling” or guesswork. We can know God’s will, as revealed in Scripture, by asking the Lord to give us wisdom and understanding, just as Paul prays for the Colossians. These two words are not synonyms, but two distinct things the Spirit imparts:

1. Wisdom: “the ability to accumulate and organize principles from Scripture” (MacArthur Study Bible, page 1836)
2. Understanding: “the application of those principles to daily living” (MacArthur Study Bible, page 1836)

Application

In his book, Praying with Paul, D.A. Carson explains, “To do the will of God in this passage is virtually synonymous with obeying what God has mandated.” In other words, doing the will of God requires knowing and doing what Scripture says. And this is a ministry of the Spirit–he helps us. 

Normally, we think of God’s will as user specific–God’s will for my life. And, because life is demanding and busy, we often become more concerned with God showing us which job to take, how to deal with a problem, or who to marry, and less concerned when Scripture says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess 5:18). I’m not saying that our personal life choices are not important! But when we commit to learning and obeying what God has already revealed, he makes our individual choices easier to come by. 

As we understand Scripture, we learn what God is like and how he works, and he transforms our desires and character to be more in line with his. Then, we make decisions in line with what pleases him and what’s truly good for us–including giving high priority to obeying what the Bible says.

For example, what will happen if I focus on thanksgiving while I pray and wait for God to guide me in a specific decision for my life? At the very least, I will turn my eyes to Christ with a deeper appreciation for all he’s done for me, become more grateful and content because of who he is, cultivate a heart that focuses on the grace he’s poured over my life (instead of just thinking about myself or what I lack), and foster a desire to seek him with praise instead of with bitterness or demands. 

If you’re waiting for God to reveal his specific will for you about a decision, next step, etc. pray for him to make that choice clear and follow what he has already revealed in Scripture. 

I hope you’re beginning to see that wisdom and understanding are not given just to puff us up with big thoughts, but for a specific purpose–and we’ll dive deeper into this next week in Part 2.