Praying for Wisdom Together

Introduction

Last week we saw that prayer is not merely something God’s people do—it is something God responds to.

We also corrected a common misunderstanding: God does not always respond with spectacle, but He always responds with faithfulness according to His Word.

This morning, we turn to a different—but equally important—question: What do God’s people do when they don’t know what to do next?

I approach this question with caution because many of God’s people tend to park themselves here.

And while there are legitimate moments of real confusion—times when the path forward is genuinely unclear—most of our living is not lived there.

More often than we like to admit, what we call confusion is really resistance.

When the righteous choice is unnatural, unpopular, undesirable, counterintuitive, costly, painful, sacrificial even—we are quick to say “I am so confused, I do not know what to do.”

I am sorry to bust your bubble. You are not confused as often as you might claim to be. The reality is that most of the time you just don’t want to do the only thing to do.

The truth is that often, you do not lack clarity, you lack willingness. You know what obedience looks like, just don’t want to do it. But that is not what we are dealing with today.

Today we are talking about moments of legitimate, profound uncertainty. Not moments where obedience is understood but just hard.

Acts 1 places the early church squarely in one of those moments. The disciples have their marching orders, but Jesus is gone.

The mission was given to them but since the Spirit had not arrived yet, they had no power to carry it out. The leadership circle is incomplete, and the future is unclear.

Yet, we see no panic, we see no rushing. And elders, notice this, we see no strategic planning session. What we see is prayer.

Luke tells us that the disciples, along with the women and the family of Jesus,

“were continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14)

Before decisions are made, before replacements are chosen, before action is taken, God’s people gather together and seek the Lord. This is not passivity, it is faithful dependence.

Acts 1 teaches us that wisdom does not come from urgency, pressure, or majority opinion.

Wisdom comes when God’s people submit themselves to God’s Word, seek His will together, and trust Him to direct the outcome.

So today, we’re not just learning that God gives wisdom—we’re learning how He gives it, and what it looks like when His people seek it together.

I. God’s People Pray Together While Waiting on God (v. 14)

The first thing we see in our passage is that God’s people do not wait idly, they pray while they wait.

Acts 1:14 LSB

14 These all with one accord were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

Who are the “these?” Luke tells us in the previous verse:

Acts 1:13 LSB

13 And when they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

All of the women who were followers, Jesus mother, and his brothers, in other words, everybody. This is not a leadership-only moment.

This is the whole community of faith praying together. We already saw last week in 2 Chronicles 6–7 what happens when the people of God seek Him together.

That same kind of corporate prayer is still needed today.

Every Sunday at 9:30, saints gather here to pray—for prayer requests, for our ministries, for our leaders, for our nation, and for God’s work in our community. And we need everybody there.

Notice what is absent in Acts 1: anxiety, distraction or division. They are in the in uncertain times, and yet their response is prayer.

Before making any decisions or planning their next move they take time to seek the Lord. This aligns with the wisdom of Scripture:

Proverbs 3:5 LSB

5 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

Unity in prayer precedes clarity in direction. Luke also tells us that they were

“continually devoting themselves to prayer.”

This is sustained, deliberate prayer over time. They did not just pray once and moved on. They continued to pray until He directs them. Jesus taught this same principle:

“they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1)

This must be a way of life for us. You do not lose heart, you continue to pray, and after you are done, then pray some more.

When answers are delayed, what fills the gap? Anxiety? Control? More planning? It ought to be prayer. Waiting is hard but Scripture connects waiting with prayerful dependence:

Psalm 40:1 NIV

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

The waiting exposes what we truly trust. If we rely more on our skills, resources, and intellect than on the Lord who gives them, waiting becomes uncomfortable

But that discomfort is not wasted. Waiting is often the sanctifying means God uses to realign our thinking with the mind of Christ—a mind fully dependent on the Father. As Paul exhorts us:

Philippians 2:5 LSB

5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

When God withholds clarity, He is not absent—He is inviting dependence. Prayer is how God’s people wait well.

Waiting in prayer does not mean waiting without direction. As the days pass, Peter stands and addresses the group—not to give his opinion, but to interpret Scripture.

II. God ‘s People Seek Wisdom from Scripture Not Impulse (vv. 15-20)

Waiting in prayer does not mean waiting without direction. As the days pass, Peter stands and addresses the group not with a new strategy or to give his opinion but to interpret Scripture.

“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas.” (vv. 15-16)

There are about 120 people in the room and this fisherman addresses them without being driven by emotion, urgency, or personal preference. Where does he begin? Scripture.

This is where the search for wisdom must begin. Wisdom does not fill the silence with ideas but from submitting uncertainty to God’s Word. Scripture itself commands:

“Seek the book of Yahweh, and read” (Isaiah 34:16)

And when God’s people seek Him rightly, Scripture assures us of the result:

Psalm 34:4 LSB

4 I inquired of Yahweh, and He answered me, And delivered me from all that I dread.

Peter understands that what has happened—Judas’s betrayal, which is fresh and no doubt painful—is not random and not outside the sovereignty of God.

Through Scripture, he is able to interpret events rightly rather than react to them emotionally. This is a crucial principle:

Prayer prepares the heart to interpret circumstances biblically instead of reacting to them emotionally

In verses 17-19 Peter recounts what happened to Judas. This is not gossip or speculation; it is a sober acknowledgement of reality.

Wisdom does not ignore sin, failure, or consequences. It faces them honestly, but through the lens of of revealed truth.

Then Peter does something important: he allows Scripture, not emotion, not sympathy, not discomfort to define what must be done:

Acts 1:20 LSB

20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his residence be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘Let another man take his office.’

He cites Psalm 69 and 109. These are not pulled out of context to justify personal desire. They are scriptures rightly applied to the situation at hand.

The Word of God provides both explanation and direction. This is what wisdom looks like in the life of God’s people:

No rush, no panic, allow Scripture to set the boundaries for the next steps. This aligns with the consistent testimony of God’s Word:

Psalm 119:105 LSB

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

One of the great dangers in seasons of uncertainty is impulse—doing something simply because doing nothing feels uncomfortable.

But Scripture teaches us that waiting prayerfully and thinking biblically is not weakness; it is obedience.

God’s people do not need new revelation when they already have God’s revealed Word. Prayer aligns the heart, and Scripture directs the steps.

III. God’s People Value God’s Design for Leadership and Community (vv. 21-23)

Having prayed together and searched the Scriptures, the church now moves forward, but carefully. Wisdom does not rush God’s people past God’s design for leadership.

Acts 1:21–22 LSB

21 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

Peter outlines the qualifications for the replacement of Judas. This decision is not arbitrary, emotional, or pragmatic.

The man must have been with them from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and must be a witness of the resurrection.

This reveals two critical realities that remain highly relevant for the church today. First, these qualifications make it clear that apostleship is a non-repeatable, foundational office.

An apostle had to be an eyewitness of the risen Christ and part of the original apostolic witness.

This is why Paul, though truly called by Christ and a witness of the resurrection, refers to himself as

“one untimely born” (1 Corinthians 15:8)

The central mark of apostolic authority was resurrection witness. This is why Peter proclaims,

Acts 2:32 LSB

32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

It is why John grounds his authority in what he has seen and heard (John 21:24, 1 John 1:1-2) and why Paul defends his apostleship by asking,

“Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1)

Apostleship was foundational to the church’s establishment. To claim that office today is to distort the clear teaching of Scripture.

The second critical reality is that the church is not looking for talent, charisma, or efficiency. They are looking for faithfulness and testimony.

Wisdom values proven character over visible ability. Leadership in the church is not about about innovation or pragmatism.

It is about continuity with what God has already done and revealed. These men are not asked to redefine the mission, but to bear witness to what they have seen and heard.

“You will be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8)

These are Jesus’ own words, they do not require any edits or additions. But let us continue,

Acts 1:23 LSB

23 And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

Look at this. There are no divisions, no factions, no political rivalry, the community recognizes qualified men and presents them together.

This moment also reminds us that God’s design for leadership is not impulsive or reactionary.

Even in a moment of loss and betrayal, the church resists the temptation to move quickly for the sake of feeling complete.

They move carefully so that leadership reflects God’s priorities, not their discomfort.

Scripture consistently emphasizes this principle. Leaders are to be recognized, not rushed; tested, not assumed. We see this in the qualifications for elders given in 1 Timothy 3.

In seasons of uncertainty, it is tempting to want to solve issues quickly. But Acts 1 teaches us that wisdom respects God’s design for leadership and community.

God’s people are willing to wait, evaluate, and submit to His standards rather than lowering them to relieve pressure. God’s wisdom does not bypass His structure. It works through it.

So far we have seen that prayer shapes the heart, Scripture directs the steps, and God’s design governs how decisions are made. Now let us move to our final point.

IV. God’s People Trust God to Direct the Outcome (vv. 24-26)

Having prayed together, searched the Scriptures, and respected God’s design for leadership, the church now does something critical—they entrust the final outcome to God.

Acts 1:24–25 LSB

24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Notice how they pray. They do not ask God to bless a decision they have already made. They ask God to reveal the one He has already chosen.

Their confidence is not in process or procedure, but in God’s sovereign knowledge. This is difficult for us to do because we are often convinced that we are the ones in control

But the church appeals to God as the One “who knows the hearts of all men.” This is crucial. The church can evaluate faithfulness and testimony, but only God sees the heart.

Wisdom knows where human responsibility ends and divine authority begins. This prayer is an act of humility.

Even after prayer, Scripture, and careful discernment, they are still dependent on God. True wisdom always leaves room for God to rule.

Acts 1:26 LSB

26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

The casting of lots here is not superstition or gambling. In Scripture, lots were a recognized means of entrusting decisions to God when human wisdom could go no further

Proverbs 16:33 LSB

33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every judgment is from Yahweh.

This occurs before Pentecost, prior to the Spirit’s indwelling guidance of the church. But what matters most is not the method, but the posture.

The church is not forcing an outcome. They are submitting to God’s will and accepting His decision without dispute.

After this moment, Matthias is never singled out again—and that is the point. The focus immediately shifts from the man chosen to the mission God is about to empower.

Wisdom does not spotlight itself; it quietly submits and moves forward in obedience.

Conclusion:

One of the hardest things for God’s people to do is to trust God with outcomes. We are often comfortable praying, studying Scripture, and even discussing wisely—but we still want control over the result.

Acts 1 teaches us that wisdom includes knowing when to stop managing and start trusting. God’s people do their part faithfully and then rest in God’s sovereign direction.

When God’s people pray rightly, seek His Word faithfully, and submit humbly, they can trust Him to lead—even when the future is still unfolding.

I leave you with these words:

Prayer shapes the heart

Scripture directs the steps

God’s design governs the process

And God Himself determines the outcome