James 1:5—If you lack wisdom

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

Trials are like mazes. They have a beginning—and if you don’t give up—they have an end. Joy and endurance are keys to those mazes, enabling you to make it all the way through despite the time element involved. But in James 1:5, a third key is introduced—wisdom.

Rest assured, joy and endurance are both components of God’s wisdom. However, you can operate in joy and exert godly endurance—yet still lack the wisdom you need to navigate your trial.

That’s why James wrote, “If you lack wisdom, ask for it.” Your trial may be so tangled up that, despite your good attitude and hardy endurance, you still need help. Wisdom is what you need.  With that added key,  your joy can find the right path to take, and your endurance won’t have to work forever on this one task.

Don’t make the mistake so many others make. They think, “I don’t want to bother God with this.” What?!? The Word says He is intimately acquainted with all your ways (see Psalm 139:3). Don’t you think that if you were a bother, He wouldn’t take the effort to familiarize Himself with everything that you do and think? He already knows about your trial; He has the way for you to be delivered, and He wants you to ask Him for wisdom. If you were a bother, the Word wouldn’t tell you again and again to ask!

Ask God for wisdom. It’s that simple. James wrote that God gives it generously and without reproach. Generosity with wisdom is one of the Lord’s chief characteristics. He’s ready to pour out an ample share of it on you whenever you need it—but first you must ask. I think the Lord must scratch His head with how little we actually ask Him for wisdom. He’s so generous with it, but some of us act as if He couldn’t care less about our lives. Nothing is further from the truth!

God is a generous giver of wisdom, and He gives it without reproach. If God did reproach you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He disapproved of you for doing so. His reproach would indicate that your request for wisdom was a disappointment to Him. If He reproached you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He found fault in you for doing so. Do any of those scenarios make sense when you consider the great love He has for you? James made it very clear—God neither finds fault in you nor does He disapprove of you when you ask Him for wisdom.

What will happen when you ask God for wisdom? He will give it to you! Plain and simple.

Ask Him.

Dorothy

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7, KJV