Matt Bevin was installed as Governor of Kentucky this past Tuesday. The morning of the inauguration, the Bevin family, cabinet members, friends and supporters gathered in Frankfort at 8:00 a.m. for a worship service seeking God’s blessing and guidance. An estimated 1500 people attended the event that in years past attracted fewer than 200. Below is a copy of my remarks on that occasion.
What do you consider the most important quality of a good leader? Integrity? Intelligence? Courage? Compassion? Communication skills? Decisiveness? Humility? It takes a unique combination of virtues to make an effective leader. That’s why there are so few of them.
What is the single most important characteristic of a leader? God prompted King Solomon to answer that question just as he was about to assume the throne of his father, David. Second Chronicles 1:7 reads, “God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’… Solomon answered, ‘Give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?’” (v. 10).
God was so pleased that Solomon didn’t ask for wealth, fame, power
or the death of his enemies that He promised, “…not only will you be the wisest man who ever lived but…I will give you wealth, possessions and honor such as no king who was before you ever had and not after you will have.” That tells us how much God values wisdom in the life of a leader.
There’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is horizontal – it’s the accumulation of facts about this world. Wisdom is vertical. It sees life from God’s perspective. It is the practical application of facts to everyday life. Knowledge impresses men, but wisdom pleases God. We’ve all known people who have a genius I.Q. but have the common sense of a Banty rooster.
Wisdom is the quality that I believe will distinguish Matt Bevin as Governor. Here’s a man who has the integrity, the intelligence, the communication skills and the courage, to be an outstanding governor. But let’s pray that God will grant him wisdom, that he would see his daily choices from God’s vantage point.
Where does that wisdom come from? Some wisdom is innate. There are some children born with common sense. Others…not so much. The Bible teaches four sources where our innate wisdom can be increased.
First wisdom also comes from God’s Word. Since the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, the more we saturate our minds with the Bible, the more we are inclined to think God’s thoughts and be guided by the Holy Spirit. If you want to know the mind of God, mediate on His Word day and night.
Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them with truth. Your word is truth.” Have you noticed, the more Biblically ignorant our nation, the more we lack sound judgment. The Bible warns that, “Thinking themselves to be wise they became fools.”
Secondly wisdom comes from experience. Stephen Wright, the droll comedian quipped, “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.” That’s the same guy who advised, “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.” Now that’s common sense!!
Job 12:12 reads, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” Matt Bevin is wise entering the governorship. Can you imagine how much wisdom he’ll have after eight years in office?
Third, wisdom comes from wise counselors. Proverbs 15:22: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 12:15: “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” It’s not enough to have a team of advisers. The advisers need to be wise people and the leader needs to be humble enough to listen to them.
When Hal Heiner first announced his candidacy for overnor I got behind his effort. Months later Matt Bevin entered the race, ran an impressive campaign and won the nomination. Last week Hal Heiner texted me, “I’ve been offered a high level post in the Bevin Administration.” What a classy move! That speaks volumes about the character of Matt Bevin. The wise listen to the advice of those with Godly experience.
Hal added, “Matt is off to a great start and selecting experienced people of character in appointments. I have never been more encouraged and hopeful for the future of Kentucky than now.” That describes the feeling of a lot of us right now.
The fourth source of wisdom, according to Scripture is prayer. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault and it will be given to you.” God is not stingy with wisdom. He gives it generously. And God gives wisdom without finding fault. He doesn’t say, “Well, I’d like to give you some wisdom but I saw what you did last Saturday.” He promises to grant wisdom to any who ask.
Last week after 14 people were gunned down by a radical Muslim couple in San Bernardino, California, The New York Daily News carried this front page headline, “God Isn’t Fixing This.” How sad! I recall a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson, “I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just; that justice cannot sleep forever.”
The truth is that only God can fix this! Our only hope is that He will answer our prayers. Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have agreed with that headline. He admitted, “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go. My own wisdom and that of those about me seemed insufficient for the day.” I trust our new Governor, like Abraham Lincoln, will consistently pray for wisdom.
That’s where the rest of us can help. Jesus said, “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19) There is special power when Christian people pray together for the same thing…on a regular basis.
Obviously there are qualifiers. We have to pray according to God’s will. He’s not going to answer contrary to what is eternally best. But we know that it IS God’s will to bless our land. We know He wants to grant wisdom. So the best thing we can do for Matt Bevin is to pray for him every day that God would grant wisdom and sound judgment.
You know that this man is going to be attacked, second-guessed and pressured every day. Satan wants to sift him like wheat. He needs to be undergirded by our prayers every single day.
So I’m going to ask you now to make a pledge to pray that God would grant Matt wisdom to know God’s will and courage to follow it. Would you stand if you are willing to pray for Matt either every day in your quiet time, or every time you see his name in the news or every time you pass a government building on the way to work? Would you pray, “God grant our governor wisdom and courage.”
If you’ll pledge to do that at some significant time that reminds you of him, would you stand right now as a quiet demonstration of future support?
“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless” (Prov. 2:6-7).
