Asking for Wisdom

Verse of the day: James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Sometimes, one of the greatest difficulties we experience in trials is the lack of wisdom in the way we respond, react, and attempt to resolve whatever challenge we are facing. All too often, even as Christians, we seek the easy solution (which is often the world’s solution), using worldly wisdom, only to find that we complicate our lives further. God admonishes us to avoid the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1), and seek wisdom from His Word. The world offers us quick, and often corrupt, solutions, which in reality are not solutions, but entanglements. However, for us, the children of God, our Heavenly Father tells us to come to Him. In this chapter of James, we are reminded that trials help us develop patience. It is in that period of working patience that we need to learn how to wait on God with godly wisdom; that wisdom is going to come from gaining a working knowledge of God’s Word (Prov 2:6). There are far too many Christians who have a head full of verses, and God’s truth; yet, when it comes to applying those truths to difficult situations, we all too often fall short. This is where we must be going to God for His guidance, through prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us in the application of God’s Word, and that, my brothers and sister, is applying practical, godly, wisdom. We have a God who wants us to go to Him, in Christ, seeking His wisdom; and unlike the response we get from people, God does not make fun of us, or scold us, when we are not sure which way to go. He does not mock us for having a head full of Bible knowledge with a lack of knowledge on how to apply it. Instead, He wants us to come to Him and ask Him how to apply His Word to our lives, so that we are doer of His Word, and not just hearers (James 1:22). Every day, most of us are faced with having to make decisions, whether in our personal lives or our professional lives. God is available to us every minute of every day to guide us in the ways of righteousness. Most of us own more than one Bible, and have no excuse for not being able to find the answers we need to steer us through life’s twists and turns. The bottom line is that we must trust God’s Word more than we trust the world’s ways, and our own understanding (Prov 3:5-6). Wisdom will teach us when to take a step, and when to be still. She will teach us when to speak (and what to speak), and when to muzzle our speech (Ps 39:1). However, it all begins with being in constant prayer and fellowship with God, reading His Word, studying His Word, and let us not forget more prayer (to ask Him for guidance in the practical application of His Word). What are we facing today that needs God’s wisdom applied to it? Let us go boldly before God’s throne of grace, and ask, for He will supply us with all the wisdom we will need to overcome whatever He allows us to face; all to the glory of God!