Day 2 Of Our Study of James

Yesterday we looked at verses 1 and 2. Today, I’d like to look at verses 5-8. Click here to look at yesterday’s blog.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James 1:5-8

First of all, we see that we should ask God for wisdom and it will be given to us. The word but begins the next sentence, so we know there is an exception to receiving that wisdom. When we ask, we can’t doubt that God will provide. When we doubt ”that man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord”. That man is the qualifier. When I used to read this passage, I couldn’t understand whey man should not think he would receive anything from the Lord. Now I understand! (The light bulb moment!) It’s the man who doubts when he asks that shouldn’t expect anything from God. That man is fickle, not stable in his faith.

So, when we come to God to ask for wisdom, we must believe in our hearts that God will provide the wisdom we are seeking. Our prayers can’t just be a whim begging for God’s because we’re in a tight spot and we hope that there is a way out. When we ask, we have to believe that God will truly provide an answer. It might not be the answer we were seeking, but we know that it is the best answer.

There have been times I’ve prayed for an answer and the answer was not what I wanted or expected. But looking back on that now, I see God’s wisdom all along. What I wanted was not what was best for all involved. God’s view from heaven is different from our view. He sees things much more clearly than we do. He knows the paths that we’ll choose and the paths he has laid out for us.

The path he has led me down is one that I never would have expected, but a couple of years ago I finally was able to give in fully to God and give him the go ahead to take total control of my life. Whatever he wanted me to do for the kingdom, was fine by me. This was a scary step for me because I like to be in control of the situation. Giving up total control of my life was something I’d been struggling with for several years. But my life has taken on a whole new direction with responsibilities and direction that I never even thought of when I was younger.

Wisdom is a gift worth believing in and the Lord freely offers it to those who believe they will receive it.

I hope this has given you insight into this passage from James 1:5-8. Come back tomorrow for a look at 9-11. I welcome your comments for discussion.

In Faith,

Pam