If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5
Recently my niece and nephew came over to spend some time at my apartment. They were excited because I usually go to their house. When they came over, we played and watched movies. It was a blast. Throughout their time at my apartment, they asked for many things. They asked for Sprite, crayons, toys, water, and even strawberries. I was delighted by their requests. Because they asked me for things, I was able to help grant their requests. I loved giving them the things they asked for because I love them. In the same way, God delights in hearing us pray and giving us the things we need, especially wisdom when we are going through difficult times.
The writer of James encourages us to pray to God for wisdom. "If you need wisdom," James writes, "ask our generous God, and He will give it to you" (verse 5). When we need wisdom, James says that we can ask for it. God is generous, James teaches. Out of His generosity, God will give us the wisdom we ask for. Notice that the verse does not say, "He 'might' give [wisdom] to you." The verse states that "He will give wisdom to you." This is a promise we have to claim. If we ask, He will give us the wisdom we ask for.
There is something else we must remember when asking God for wisdom. James continues teaching about asking God for wisdom, saying, "But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone" (verse 6). The New International Version of James 1:6 says, "You must believe and not doubt." We must trust God when we ask, believing He will answer our prayer for wisdom. God honors our prayers of faith.
Maybe today, you need wisdom in difficult circumstances where you do not know what to do. Maybe you want to help someone you know who is facing a difficult time, but you do not know how to help. Whatever the case, if you need wisdom, ask God for it. Ask in faith, believing that He will certainly give it to you.
Take a few minutes to follow James’ teaching and pray. Pray for wisdom, especially in trials that you are facing. Ask Him for wisdom to know how to move forward and honor Him. Remember, He delights in hearing from you and promises to give you the wisdom you need.
James 1:5-11
"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements."
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