Pearls of Wisdom

For many years, as the wife of a pastor, I have been captured by this elegant quote. When I was younger in my ministry, a wonderful lady embroidered the quote for me and had it placed in a lovely etched frame, which sat on my desk for years. During the times of victory and the times of loss and sorrow, I have found myself staring at the quote and saying a prayer to the Lord while asking for His great wisdom.

Often in life, we are thrust into positions that are beyond our experience or education. Feeling unqualified (which I often related to), we must learn to seek a higher knowledge, a greater insight, and a more intelligent thought process. This is called the wisdom of God. This only comes to us as we surrender our wills and pray for His wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (NKJV). God has repeatedly infused me with His wisdom as I have been placed into many situations that were beyond my ability or know-how. When I have experienced these incredible impartations, I have been in awe and wonder of our magnificent God! How can such a great God work through me, talk through me, and use me when, in my own self, I have such limited knowledge and resources?

Second Corinthians 12:9 clears this up by stating, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (NKJV). When I think about this kind of grace, I am reminded of how a pearl is formed in the shell of an oyster. An oyster is busy being an oyster when somehow an intruder or irritant gets inside its safe little shell. It’s usually a grain of sand or a parasite of some kind. The oyster becomes uncomfortable and irritated, and it begins to secrete nacre, which is a thin, layered substance. The nacre is secreted over and over until, somewhere between six months and four years, a beautiful, lustrous pearl is formed. I love that pearl specialists say that the pearl is “formed.” Isn’t God’s grace like this? We are pressured with hardships, perplexities, and trials of every kind, and as we wait patiently, praying and seeking wisdom, we are covered over and over with God’s holy “nacre”: grace! What a supernatural miracle it is when we realize that a “pearl of wisdom” has been formed in us!

"If you will pray and humble yourself, you will be led by the Lord to know where to go, who to listen to, and what to do."

Through the years of seeking God’s wisdom, I have enjoyed studying the life of the Queen of Sheba. Out of all the characters in the Bible, we see that she longed for wisdom more than anything. She was willing to go to great lengths to see, hear, and experience the wisdom of Solomon. First Kings 10 gives us a clear picture of what this regal queen was willing to do to gain wisdom. Imagine hundreds of camels laden with royal fabrics and blankets, along with rare spices and vast numbers of precious stones. The camels also carried 120 talents of gold, an amount that would be equivalent to approximately $305 million in today’s currency. They traveled for over 1,200 miles, which took many months. The long, winding camel caravan went through the Arabian desert, across the land of Moab, and into Jerusalem. Think of the scorching days of heat, the extreme desert cold at night, the windstorms, the treacherous environment, and so much more. Yet the Queen of Sheba persevered to find and see wisdom. Upon reaching her destination, she beheld the magnificent view of all of the great buildings, and she looked for Solomon. She had heard of his fame and his relationship with the Lord, and she came to ask him hard questions. She had a lot on her mind, and Solomon sat with her and listened to her. The Bible says he “answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her” (1 Kings 10:3 NIV).

This is such an outstanding account of a woman wanting to find wisdom, something we all truly need. The Queen of Sheba knew where to go to find another level of wisdom. If you will pray and humble yourself (the Queen of Sheba used humility to address Solomon), you will be led by the Lord to know where to go, who to listen to, and what to do. At last, the long, winding road will direct you to the right decision to accomplish what God is leading you to do. Then you will realize and say with great amazement as the Queen of Sheba did, “However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed, the half was not told me” (1 Kings 10:7 NKJV).