Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Derrick Porter every Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir broadcast from Temple Square. It was previously aired on Sunday, January 11, 2026 and will be aired on Sunday, June 28, 2026. This week is the 5,050th broadcast.
Note: Reservations are required to attend Music and the Spoken Word at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Click here for more information on how to make a reservation. Also, due to the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra’s performance at California’s Hollywood Bowl, there will be no live performance of “Music & the Spoken Word” on June 28, and past performances will be streamed.
Wisdom comes from experience and observation. It is seasoned by time and cultivated through reflection. We benefit from wisdom when we apply the learnings of the past to the demands of the present and future.
But wisdom, true wisdom, is more than just an acquired quality. The world may define wisdom as accumulated knowledge. But wisdom from God is more than that. It is not bound by secular frameworks of understanding. Rather, God’s wisdom is eternal and based on a very personal truth. The Old Testament teaches that this kind of wisdom is better than rubies and gold (see Proverbs 8:11; 16:16).
God gives wisdom to those who humbly ask. The New Testament promises, “If any among you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all and does not condemn, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
We have a living relationship with God. And if we sincerely ask God for wisdom in our lives, we can trust that it will be given to us. God’s wisdom may not reveal exactly the next ten steps, but it can help us discern what to do as we “move forward” (2 Nephi 31:20). We receive God’s wisdom by faith. It is faith that God will light the path before us, even when it feels like we are standing on the edge of light (see 1 Nephi 4:6).
A friend of mine once received the shocking news that he had cancer. A decision had to be made, and the outcome was uncertain. Immediately, he and his wife knelt in prayer, begging God’s wisdom to guide them. There was no answer as to whether he would recover. However, one answer was obtained. It was simple, straightforward and lasting. It said, “Please don’t worry.”
Day after day they sought the peace that only God can give (see Philippians 4:7). And day after day, in the face of uncertainty, God’s wisdom, wrapped in God’s peace, led them by the hand and gently guided them in their decisions (see D&C 112:10 and Isaiah 41:13). Along the way, they grew together in faith, love, and joy.
When we seek God’s wisdom and act upon it, we find that God shows us the path to follow, His way, to increase our faith, deepen our peace, and spread our joy.
Tuning…
“Music & the Spoken Word” broadcasts are available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir, and Amazon Alexa (skills must be enabled). The program will be broadcast live on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these stations. Find airing information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedule.
