Godly wisdom, the need of the hour

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 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. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:5-8 NIV

In order for us to accept the fact that life consists of trials and difficulties, we need to have wisdom. The first readers of the Book of James might have been taken by surprise when James told them that “when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2). The first thing that James emphasized from the text is that dealing with trials demands wisdom. We never need wisdom more urgently than when we are facing difficulties and yet, how often we find ourselves lacking it. The admonition for us is to ask God for wisdom. Wisdom begins when we have reverential fear of God. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7 NIV). Wisdom is much more than knowledge and intelligence. It is a spiritual characteristic that comes out of our love and respect for God. We can be highly educated and filled with academic achievements yet do not have the ability to make the simplest decisions in life. We need wisdom so that we will know and understand God’s purpose behind the trials we are facing. God uses the trials in life to mold us to the life He knew is the best for us. So when we gain wisdom from God, we are not going to waste the opportunities presented before us to attain spiritual maturity. Having wisdom helps us understand how we can be benefited and glorify God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Because we have the wisdom that comes from God, we will desire to live our lives for Him. This is why we need to know how to respond to trials in such a way that we do not dishonor God and that we do not discourage our fellow believers as well as those we are trying to reach with the gospel. “‘Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?’” (Deuteronomy 4:5-7).

Blessings,