Wisdom at 2:30 in the Afternoon
Why Christian leaders need God’s wisdom most in the ordinary meetings, not just in crisis
Everyday leadership
It’s easy to think about wisdom only when leadership gets difficult, when you’re staring down a complex decision and you need clarity.
But most leadership doesn’t happen in crisis. Most leadership happens at 2:30 in the afternoon, when you are slightly tired after lunch, stepping into yet another meeting just after you typed three rushed sentences in reply to an email, still thinking through the proposal you need to finish by the end of the day. Wisdom is needed in that moment (Prov. 3:5-6).
How will you show up in this meeting? For you it might be the fourth meeting of the day, but for the people in the room it may be the one chance they have to speak with you. Wisdom is knowing how to be present, to listen to the whole story, to answer their questions with the broader context in mind, and to discern the next step. It also shows up in how you respond to that email and how you handle the small requests that cross your desk.
We reach out to him not only when we do not know what to do, but also when we think we do, or the decisions seem insignificant (Prov. 16:3).
The fear of the Lord and our limits
A Christian understanding of leadership begins with the recognition that we are not autonomous. We are created beings who live within human limits. We never have enough information, foresight, or moral clarity to lead by our own strength. Scripture calls this humility, and it is the starting point of wisdom.
Wisdom is not merely a technique for making good decisions. It is learning to align our lives with God’s reality. God has woven moral and spiritual order into the world, and wise leaders learn to work with that order rather than against it. Proverbs reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10).” Worship, dependence, and obedience are not private virtues. They belong in the whole of life, including the way we lead at work. God does not divide our lives into spiritual and professional categories.
When we separate our spiritual lives from our organizational responsibilities, we fracture ourselves. Even at a seminary I feel how easily that fracture appears. If we only ask God for wisdom during a crisis, then in those everyday moments we default to our own skills and knowledge. Every decision shows whether we are relying on our own insight or seeking wisdom from above (Jas. 3:17).
What wisdom does to our leadership
We ask God for wisdom not because we want to avoid responsibility but because we feel the weight of stewardship. James reminds us, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly (Jas. 1;5).” Our decisions shape people, cultures, and institutions. They cast long shadows. So we pray for clarity in the grey areas, courage in uncertainty, and humility when we cannot see the whole path.
Leaders who depend on God’s wisdom become more grounded, which is what makes decisiveness possible. They are less reactive in meetings. Their feet are steady on the floor. They can say “I don’t know yet” without spiraling into self-doubt because they are more aware of who carries the weight than of how they appear. There is a steady confidence that comes from knowing the burden does not rest on us alone.
Wisdom keeps us from becoming naive or cynical. It keeps us from tightening our grip or checking out. Without it, we either micromanage every detail, firing off late-night emails and obsessing over enrollment numbers, or we do the opposite and go numb, living for escape and just trying to get through the week. Wisdom anchors us in the reality that God is present in every corner of our work.
Leaders, keep asking for wisdom. Not because you lack skill, you likely have plenty, but because the God who made the world is the only one who can teach us how to lead in it.
”Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” - Proverbs 90:12