Application of Spiritual Wisdom Part 1
September 2, 2025
Application of Spiritual Wisdom Part 1
Welcome to this series on the Application of Spiritual Wisdom.
One day last week, as I often do, I could not solve a problem on my own. And none of the solutions I collected from others seemed to feel right. What was I do? What are any of us to do when in a situation like that? I felt like a teenager who knew something about the problem, but I did not have enough divine wisdom to make the decision.
Think about when we were teens and had so much to learn about the world. We needed knowledge about our “new” world, so we took in everything that we could. But obtaining only knowledge was not enough; we needed to know how to use it wisely. The years of adolescence are the “years of storm and stress” because we are doing the challenging work of applying what we learn about life. Application is often a proposition of trial and error. Our errors taught us which wisdom, when applied, would not help us, and our successes taught us which wisdom would best help move us through the world.
When we enter the the spiritual life, application of spiritual wisdom is essential. Through various methods such as attunement, spiritual direction, the natural recovery from shock points, discernment and many others, including trial and error, we learn to apply our wisdom to every situation. One of the most fundamental ways to receive spiritual wisdom is to simply ask the Divine for it.
By directly asking the Divine, we admit we do not have the wisdom needed, and we increase our receptivity to the Divine. We can make our request to the Divine verbally or silently in our heart.
It is a gift to receive divine wisdom. It may be entirely new, or it may be a reminder of something we had forgotten. The information and impressions we receive may deepen the wisdom already inside us or it may explain something we had wondered about for years. Wisdom can take us to new levels of consciousness and help access information to which we would never have had access.
When spiritual wisdom increases our consciousness, it informs our world view, attitudes, and emotions, but more than that, it influences our state of being, behavior and relationships. Wisdom of the spirit also deepens our relationship to the Divine, and because we are more attune to divine flow, our lives can more positively affect everyone with whom we come in contact.
When grounded in the wisdom given us, its inner guidance sustains us. Spiritual wisdom even guides us in what and how to pray. It is the divine knowledge that knows what we need more than we do. About the solution to the problem mentioned at the beginning of the Reflection, I grew up from being a spiritual teen and went right to the Source on my own.
Spiritual practice: Consider the prayer, “Please reveal to me what I need to know and how to apply it to my life. If you have a current quandary or dilemma, would offering this prayer be a way you could take the first step?
Self-inquiry: What would be the thing in your life that more wisdom from God would help you with?
Dear God,
Please reveal to me what I need to know and how to express your wisdom in my life. Amen
