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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
Today, we return to our study of the epistle of James who was the half brother of the Lord Jesus. In this book, James wrote to a group of Christians who were going through some of the most intense trials imaginable. Their story illustrates for us that the trials we face are a must for our hearts to not only seek God, but also to see Him. When our faith sits on the shelf and isn't challenged, we will become distant to the voice of God.
We naturally think trials are bad. In fact, we most often run from our trials. Sadly, in running from our trials, we discover that we are running from God. There is no way around the necessity that trials are musts in order to deepen our personal relationship with God.
Trials cannot destroy true faith. Trials put our faith to the test. The faith that stands the test is proven to be genuine and the faith that fails the test is proven to be false. Trials cannot destroy faith, they can only test it. And, once tested, our faith is strengthened for the next go around when it comes.
God allows or causes trials to come into our lives in order to wean us from our dependency to this world. Trials, as we learned in our last study, serve our ability to evaluate what is real and substantive. Trials serve us to cry out to God and learn to be dependent upon Him. Trials serve us to teach us to evaluate all things. And, once we have evaluated by His culture, we discover what is true and good.
In addition, trials position us to help others in their trials. Trials are integral to our sanctification which is the process whereby God changes our souls. Our souls are made up of our way of thinking, our choices and our emotions. Our trials are useful in developing our ability to be useful to God in demonstrating to others what it looks like to depend upon Him for all things.
Now, in the midst of trials, the believer is strengthened to persevere in his faith. True faith in the God of the Bible endures. It will persevere to the end. Increasingly, true faith discovers that it possesses a joyous attitude in the midst of trials that enables the believer to evaluate correctly and thus will become more mature in his faith.
In today's verse we read, "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."
Wisdom is always at a premium, especially when we are going through trials. Wisdom is a bi-product of crying out to God and depending upon Him as we go through trials. God's wisdom is accessed as we live in obedience to His will and word and are defined accordingly. Trials are intended to drive us to dependency on God and being defined by Him as we obey His word.
Humility is assumed in the prayer for wisdom. Most often, it is only when we discover that we lack something do we turn to God for help. The Lord Jesus prayed continuously, even though He was God. His example of dependency upon His Father is our example. In fact, this is what prompted the disciples to approach the Lord with the request, "Teach us to pray."
We are naturally self-sufficient. Our default mode is to not depend upon God. However, we become prayer warriors when we are driven to our knees in prayer. As we encounter trials, we are more and more convinced that we need God's wisdom. And, the source of wisdom is always there when we turn to Him. Once we run to God, we will discover that God gives to all who ask for it generously and liberally. We have a generous and gracious God who desires to pour out to us those things which we need. When we cry out to God, He is poised and eager to impart to us His wisdom which is different than knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is the ability to apply God's knowledge and understanding which is garnered in and through His word.
When we cry out to God for His wisdom, He promises that He will give it to us. He gives, because it is his nature to be giving. He gives liberally, sincerely and without hesitation. He gives without mental reservation. He does not give to us reluctantly.
The book of wisdom in the Bible is the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is mentioned 125 times in the book of Proverbs. In the book of Proverbs, God has given a complete manual on the subject of wisdom. In fact, in Proverbs 3:5-7 we read, "5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil."
When we go through trials, we must not lean on your own understanding. Increasingly, we must choose to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. We must be careful to not look to ourselves for answers but to spend time in God's word, listening to Him for His insights which will steer us away from our natural and sinful ways of handling our problems. We must be careful to respond to the wisdom God gives us so that we do not have to learn that particular lesson again. This highlights the nature of God's wisdom: It builds on the previous lesson of wisdom given.
Billy Graham once said, "We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We are to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient."
