James 1:5-8
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
“If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey….” (The Voice Translation).
Which journey? The journey through the trials or hard times.
Yes! At times, through this journey, we may become blank! We become pointless! How to move forward, what decisions I should take?
During these times, the wisdom from God becomes handy. Wisdom is not knowing everything under the sun! Wisdom is the ability to lead a good life according to the plan of God and to make the right decisions according to the will of God. The root of true wisdom is the “fear of God” (Proverbs 1:7). If you feel like the wisdom you have is not sufficient enough, then, ask God. He is generous that He will provide it lavishly and He never scolds for asking Him for wisdom.
But, the trickiest part of this is, we have to be careful while asking. When you ask:
- Never doubt,
- Never be double-minded,
- Never depend on your judgment,
- Be sure that your faith is in God ALONE!
If we are not having the four qualities that are mentioned above, we will be like the waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind! A wave doesn’t have a proper stand. It goes just as the wind blows on it. If the wind is strong enough, it will make a huge wave if not, it may not even reach the shore. And also, the wave carries lots of unnecessary things along with it, like, plastics, wood, metal pieces, bottles, etc. They are not the belongings of the sea. And, it is carried to the shore along the waves when the wind blows. Similarly, a man who doubts, have a lot of unnecessary things within. It can be arrogance, negative thoughts, anger, depression and the list goes on. These contents are thrown to the shore or the people around him when he doesn’t get what he asked for!
When we don’t have the wisdom, we start to argue instead of enduring through it. The arguments never bring honor to God. Instead, it will carry us away from the plan of God, just like the sea driven by the winds. He will neither get the help from God as their loyalty is divided between God and the world!
