"If any of you lacks wisdom"

Today we are looking at James 1:5-7. It reads like this, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Wisdom is a hot commodity in the scriptures. Essentially, wisdom shows you how to act, what to say, what to do. Here James says, “Do you lack wisdom? All you have to do is ask for it!” God wants to give you wisdom! It is important to note that this verse is specifically about wisdom ok, nothing else. And here it says that God will give wisdom out generously, like He is waiting for you to ask for it. 

Wisdom comes to us in various ways, it comes from experience – usually the best wisdom comes from our mistakes. It comes from listening. It comes from clarity of thought. It comes with humility and gratitude. I do not pray for wisdom enough. Do you?

James continues, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not supposed that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.” 

Now there are two ways, as I see it, that these verses can be taken. I believe there is truth in both. 

The first way is if you want to get wisdom from God than you have to believe God both can and will answer your prayer. A re-occurring theme in scripture is this notion that your prayers are answered in accordance with your faith. It would be an interesting study for you to go through the Gospels and record every time Jesus said something like “your faith has healed you” or “it will be done according to your faith”. Why is this important to Jesus? To God? Because God is not so interested in giving you what you are asking for as He is in helping you to believe in Him and trust Him. Throughout scripture God’s goal is always that people will truly come to believe in and trust Him. 

Here James might be saying, “If you don’t believe God can and will give you wisdom than don’t expect Him to.” There is some strength here, but it seems like there are people who pray with doubts in scripture and their prayers are answered. Like the father in Mark 9:24 who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

The second way this can be taking is trusting God’s wisdom over the world. This passage is about asking for wisdom from God – but in doing so do you have faith that the wisdom from God is the best way to go or are you still torn between God’s wisdom and the worlds foolish ways? In other words, when you pray for God’s wisdom it must be with the rock-solid belief that the wisdom God affords is the absolute truth and a commitment to apply it to your life. Otherwise you are “double-minded” meaning you are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, you are like a wave in the sea being tossed back and forth-going in the direction that seems best at the time. God’s wisdom is not a toy or a hobby it is a way of life that must not be taken lightly or easily cast aside. 

Here James just might be saying, indeed I believe he is, that when we pray for wisdom we must have complete faith that God’s wisdom is the only way or we shouldn’t ask for it at all.  

So please, ask God for His wisdom – but when you do be sure your mean it. 

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