You should ask God
James 1:5 - We find ourselves stumbling for answers, and that is the time when prayer is needed the most.
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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
James 1:5 NIV
I’ve been pointed to two consecutive verses from the epistle of James, so God obviously wants me to gain some good wisdom from this book of the Bible. This verse begins with a reminder that “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God”.
We all lack wisdom! But we often go on our merry way in life with the thought that we know it all, until we are met with a season of trial and difficulty. It doesn’t matter what the trial may be — financial issues, medical problems, faltering relationships, or any of the myriad ways we are tested in our lives. We find ourselves stumbling for answers, and that is the time when prayer is needed the most.
Sometimes we simply need the wisdom to discern whether the trial we’re going through is something that God wants us to dispense of through faith, or to persevere in by faith. The answer to that can only come from God, not from friends, relatives, or some social media “influencer” who thinks he or she has all the answers.
In these situations, it’s a lot more important to have wisdom than it is to have knowledge. A lot of raw information is worthless; knowing how to use that knowledge requires wisdom. American theologian and educator John A. Morrison said “Knowledge comes by taking things apart, analysis. But wisdom comes by putting things together.”1
To gain this wisdom, we need to ask God directly in prayer. He supplies us with wisdom “generously to all without finding fault.” Charles H. Spurgeon said this eloquently:
i. “We are all so ready to go to books, to go to men, to go to ceremonies, to anything except to God… Consequently, the text does not say, ‘Let him ask books,’ nor ‘ask priests,’ but, ‘let him ask of God.’” (Spurgeon)2
17th Century theologian John Trapp noted of God’s generosity in providing wisdom to those who ask:
ii. “He gives according to his excellent greatness; as Alexander the Great gave a poor man a city; and when he modestly refused it as too great for him, Alexander answered, Non quaero quid te accipere deceat, sed quid me dare, The business is not what thou are fit to receive, but what it becometh me to give.” (Trapp)3
God gives us this wisdom freely without finding fault in what we’re asking for. He won’t be mad at us for asking frequently. David Guzik of Enduring Word quotes John Calvin on God’s lack of reproach:
“This is added, lest any one should fear to come too often to God… for he is ready ever to add new blessings to former ones, without any end or limitation.” (Calvin) Knowing God’s generosity — that He never despises or resents us for asking for wisdom — should encourage us to ask Him often. We understand that He is the God of the open hand, not the God of the clenched fist.
We see it throughout Scripture. The Bible contains no end to wisdom, and that wisdom is fully consistent with the Word of God. Spurgeon notes that our request for God’s wisdom should be done in full humility, not as a demand.
“It does not say, ‘Let him buy of God, let him demand of God, let him earn from God.’ Oh! No — ‘let him ask of God.’ It is the beggar’s word. The beggar asks an alms. You are to ask as the beggar asks of you in the street, and God will give to you far more liberally than you give to the poor. You must confess that you have no merit of your own.”
We all lack wisdom. God will share His wisdom with us generously, if only we ask with humble faith.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Prayerz.org:
Dear God, I come to you today acknowledging that I lack wisdom in certain areas of my life. I ask that you would grant me the wisdom that I need to make the right decisions and navigate through difficult situations. Your word promises that if I ask for wisdom, you will give it to me liberally and without reproach. I claim this promise today and trust that you will provide me with the wisdom that I need. Thank you for your faithfulness and for always being there to guide me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com
Morrison, John A., “The Role of Religion in Education” (1947), as cite in Braude, Jacob M. “Braude’s Handbook of Stories for Toastmasters and Speakers” (Prentice-Hall, 1975, p. 194)
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon “The New Park Street Pulpit” Volumes 1-6 and “The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit” Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)
Trapp, John “A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments” Volume 5 (Matthew to Revelation) (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)