The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-07-11

umo- AucAo - uO QucothOu IN Hhb n42I
as to Gods ability and willingness :,
grant the request. This II the way tn
soul must always go to God II It woul,
obtain from Him. James emphasize
this very point In the verses following
our text He likens the man whs
doubts to q wave of the sea driven hith
er and thither by the wind. and solemn
ly declares: Let not that man thinl
that he shall receive anything from the
Lord" Read carefully the verses which
follow the> request which Solomon
makes OF the Lord. No immediate ev-
idence that Solomon has been clothed
with the mantle of wisdom. In fact
Scripture declares that Solomon awoke
and found II was dream. This does
not mean there was q vague intangible
ness to It all such as is ordinarily at
tached to dreams, but emphasizes the
fact that there was not any immediateo or
miraculous change in Solomon. There
was only the inward consciousness that
he had talked with God and that wisdom
when needed was to be his portion from
the God OF all wisdom. In faith he went
down to Jerusalem. and waited and then
followed the evidences that the wisdom
for which he had asked had been be-
slowed. God does not give the soul the
conscious possession of His treasures
that they may be boarded and gloated
over. and unwisely used, but He gives
when the need for use arises. and faith
keeps the soul confident that in the time
of need God will not fail. The request
for wisdom must be made with that
1t patient to wait for its bestowment in
the hour OF need.
n IFT of Wisdom.-As we have al
" ready intimated. this gift of wis
dom to Solomon was not miraculous.
God did not send 1t down upon him
in great chunks so that he could gather
1t up and ship 1t back to Jerusalem,
there to be used when he wished to
make display of it, or when circum-
stances required. 1t came in the most
natural way. and while Solomon was
using every energy and faculty of his
being. God supplemented his natural
abilities. He did not supplant them.
While the gift was natural and timed
to the need. the evidences of that wis
dom were striking and well-nigh mirae-
ulous. for the nation instantly recog-
nized that 'the Wisdom of God was in
him to do judgment" And that is the
way the wisdom which you are told
to ask of God will be received. When the
difficult problem arises, when confused
in the presence Of perplexing circum-
stances. then look for the gift of wis
dom, and move straight on. knowing
that each step will be guided by the un-
erring judgment of God. Wisdom from
God is not something you can have
large reserve stock of on hand, as you
would grain supply or bank account,
but is always in the possession Of God,
but the prayer of faith will always be
able to move God and obtain from Him
just what is needed for the present re-
quirement.
EVIDENCE OF Wisdom.-Did 1t ever
l. occur to you that 1t was singular that
God selected the incident He did to
prove the wisdom Of His servant Sol
onion? Surely out of the many hard
tests to which the Queen of Sheba put
him upon her visit, there must have
been some one which could have been
selected which would have so clearly
proved the possession of the gift. Sure
ly there must have been other and pleas
anter circumstances when he could
have displayed his God-given wisdom.
But. instead, he is found sitting on his
throne and adjudicating a. disgusting
justice-court case; case In which the
had no standing and the
object of their dispute being the fruit OF
their sin and a witness against them.
Instead of hearing their case he might
have ordered their stoning without the
city according to the solemn judgment
Of the Jewish law. Why was It? We
may not be able to suggest the correct
answer. but may it not have been to
emphasize the fact that the highest wis
dom Of God reaches to the lowest hui
nan need. Does it not emphasize the
practical utility of God-given wisdom?
Even the meanest and most despised
Of all of His subjects was to feel and
know that the wisdom of God was
guiding him. The evidence of Solo
mons great wisdom was Unexpectedly
found in matter which most vitality
the everyday life of two
outcast women. What a lesson this
ought to teach you and me! Where are
We looking for evidences of wisdom
from God? In some great thing? You
will be disappointed. But realize that
the gift will be bestowed for the mean
est and most humble affairs of life, that
it will be given that you may bless and
help some despised. outcast soul. and
then there will be such a common
sense. yet exalted, walk with God as
will demonstrate to all about that the
wisdom of Cod" is in you.
I INFLUENCE Of Wisdom.-And this
l last brings US to our closing thought:
The influence Of wisdom. II we were
able to go back to the period in Jew
ish history when Solomon reigned, and
with the people. we would find
that the manifest presence OF God with
Colcv,,or xuhfch v,,,f hin, In evp, m . n ottc