Asking for wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; they are double-minded and unstable in all they do. (James 1.5-8)

This is an amazing promise from the letter written by Jesus' brother, James. Just as Jesus did in all his teaching, James calls God's people to have a wholehearted faith in God's goodness and generosity: God loves to give wisdom to his children when they ask for it.

The belief or faith that James speaks of here is all about relationship. When the world speaks of 'having faith' it quite often has in mind some vaguely understood concept of 'positive thinking' which somehow produces a good effect in our lives. Faith in the Bible is always about belief and trust in a person - the living God, revealed most clearly in Jesus.

When we ask God for wisdom we are asking him to reveal his heart and his mind so that we can respond in trust and obedience to what he reveals. If we are seeking wisdom from him but are not prepared for our relationship with him to deepen as a result - if we are not prepared to trust him or obey his word when it comes to us - there is very little point in asking for wisdom in the first place.

With the Open Church Project as we continue to seek what the Lord would have us do - his wisdom, his heart, his mind - may we be prepared to trust what he tells us and to put it into practice. For God is good and he loves us.