James 1:5
“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.”
We have heard this verse being misquoted in prayers especially when someone seeks prayer for an upcoming exam or even when we ‘think’ a kid is a slow learner. But, if we read this verse in context to what Apostle James was quoting, we will understand that we were twisting this verse to satisfy our circumstantial needs.
In the passage, James 1: 2-8, Apostle James is explaining about ‘profiting from trials.’ All his thought-process is revolving around the idea of finding joy in trials, the outcome of trials, and how to face trials.
The Voice translation adds more color to the context: “If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.”
Which journey? The journey through the trials or hard times but not about facing a university examination. (God is the source of all knowledge and He will provide knowledge to face exams too.)
Through the journey of trials, we may become blank! We become pointless! We may get stranded with many questions popping around. 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 when going through trials of life!
Trials bring a necessary season to seek wisdom from God. We often don’t know we need wisdom until our time of difficulty. Once in a time of trial, we need to know if a particular trial is something God wants us to eliminate by faith or persevere in by faith. This requires wisdom.
Yes! We need the wisdom to overcome the trials of life and for that, we must ask the Creator without doubts. Also, we need His wisdom to overcome the trials of questions about our faith and must know His heart while interpreting the scriptures as well.
