LEARNING DAILY

James 1:5-6, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 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.

What do you do when you don’t know what to do. Trials and testing can bring us to the point that people turn to all sorts of people, gimmicks, self-help, -- everything but God and prayer. James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” The trials that come are so we, “may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (v. 4). That means spiritual maturity. With this, Believers should pray and ask for wisdom to face the situation and not turn to other people or stuff first.

There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. For example, I googled to see how fast knowledge was increasing in today’s world; I found, “Human knowledge is increasing rapidly, with estimates suggesting that it is doubling every 13 months. However, due to advancements in technology and the internet, it is projected that knowledge could soon double every 12 hours. Specifically, scientific knowledge has been reported to double every nine years.” If this is so, try to understand what this means. Daniel 12:4 said the increase in knowledge was a sign of the end of times.

With all the education in this world, knowledge has not made the world a better place. Let’s be honest and put our educated and sophisticated world into proper perspective. Our world is dark and evil, growing worse daily. Murder is rampant. Families are broken. Homelessness is a problem and causing untold problems in cities around the world. Suicide continues to grow. Immorality is evidenced even in the Christian community.

Wisdom is lacking! James wrote the answer to gaining wisdom was to ask God for it. Wisdom is the ability to apply facts that one has, using heavenly guidance to apply to one’s situation. You cannot lose perspective when facing trials; you need God’s wisdom and direction. Read also what James wrote happens when God is asked for wisdom – He gives it generously to all who ask! Wisdom is a gift God gives to those who ask. So, ask. Do not let anything keep you from asking Him. Do it first, before seeking wisdom anywhere else. Proverbs 118:8, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

When you ask, “ask in faith, with no doubting.” God wants Believers to trust Him and He is ready to reward them when they do; that comes with asking Him for wisdom when trials come. But that promise comes with a condition – ask without doubting. That means coming to Him convinced that He is the One true source of wisdom and that wisdom can be trusted. A person who asks Him but doubts God or that He is not willing to give His wisdom is probably not going to receive anything.

We serve a God who cares for us and wants to fill us with His guidance, His wisdom when trials come. During those times our greatest need is to know how to deal with these issues. God wants Believers to place their trust in Him and ask for His wisdom. It is putting faith into practice; the result - He gives liberally!