How do we get wisdom from the Lord?
All we need to do is ask.
In James, we are told that:
5 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.
James 1:5
Sounds easy. However, there is one catch.
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. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
James 1:6-8
At first I bristled at the idea that God would withhold something that I ask for. How could a good God do that?
When I looked at the verse again, I noticed that it wasn’t saying God withholds everything I ask for if I ask with doubting. If that were the case, Peter would have sunk to the bottom of the sea when he was walking on the water and started to sink. Then the father who asked Jesus to heal his son by crying out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” would not have seen his son be miraculously healed.
I noticed that James 1 is specifically referring to wisdom.
I know from Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the kind of fear that makes us cower backwards, preventing us from approaching His throne in humility. Not the kind of fear that tosses us back and forth like waves of the ocean, staggering two steps to the right and then three to the left, not knowing which way to go and who to trust. But the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom is the kind of fear that manifests itself through a heart in awe of God, the One who is in charge, the One who delights in obedience. It’s a fear that keeps us moving forward one step at a time in faith and trust.
If we are doubting, we are not in a position to receive God’s wisdom.
It’s not that He doesn’t want to give it. On the contrary, He heaps it upon us generously when we ask in faith.
If you are in the midst of asking God for wisdom and you feel yourself doubting, remind yourself who God is. He is your Guide who is right beside you in the hard time. He is sovereign and already working out whatever you are worried about. When you walk with the Lord, you walk on stable ground with sure footing. Ask the Lord for wisdom and He will guide you, one step at a time.
What helps you step forward in faith when you are tempted to doubt? Comment below.
Good morning Rachel, I appreciate your description of fear of the Lord. I will borrow your words as I teach my boys again about this. Have a blessed Monday. In Christ, Julie
Thank you, Julie, for reading and thinking along with me about the fear of the Lord. Since I just studied Proverbs it’s been on my mind a lot.
Tony and Devan are reading Proverbs and just talked about this last night. (I shared some of your post with Dev.) In my current state, trying to understand how to best move my business forward, I’ve found myself wondering if I’m doing enough or if I’m doing the right things. I’ve been praying for God’s guidance and wisdom. And I doubt myself. Am I doing the right things? Spending my time on the right activities to grow my client base? While I search for those “right things” to do, am I really doubting myself, or am I in doubt of what I think God’s direction is? Do I doubt that God will bless my effort and answer my prayers? Am I praying with that doubt in the back of my mind? Thank you for making me take a look at my heart. I think once in a while we all need that check. Especially when we’re praying for an ongoing situation. We can’t forget that it’s God’s timing and not our own. That we need to be patient and wait to hear His answer, even if it’s not the one we want to hear or as quickly as we want the answer.
Thanks, Rach!
Jen
Thanks for thinking about this, Jen. I feel like that is bringing in the idea of discernment, too. So there is asking God for wisdom which we can do in doubting or with confidence, and then there is the act of discernment to find out what specific direction He wants us to take. I feel that way, too, with writing. There are 1,000 things I could do, but which ones does God want me to do? I just read Emily P Freeman’s The Next Right Thing which is about making decisions. Not a 3 step program, but just thoughts to mull over about decision making in general from a Biblical worldview. It was such a good book.
I handle doubt (of which I’m feeling plenty — not about God, just about what we’re doing) by remembering God’s Faithfulness, provision and direction. Godly wisdom reminds me that though circumstances change, He never does.
I’m praying for you, Ellin, in your time of transition.
I’m wondering if that temptation to doubt can possibly be rooted in that flesh and spirit wrestling match.
Our flesh wants what it wants with all the blessings of wisdom and grace and the Spirit living in us knows that what we want is not God’s will so are we doubting His good intentions towards us? Are we really not wanting His wisdom because is conflicts with our “wants?” It seems this brings us back to the obedience part and acceptance that God IS all-wise and reminding ourselves to humble ourselves before Him and say,”Thy will be done.”
And perhaps that’s where the wisdom comes in. Hmmm…maybe some round-robin thinking.
Thanks for getting the rusty wheels a-turning, Rachel! 🙂 God bless!
I think that’s a great point, Rene. That a big part of wisdom is saying Thy will be done. Seeing the world and our lives from God’s perspective.
To me, one of the best stories of how God responds to our doubts with love and grace is the story of the disciple Thomas. In John 20, Jesus appeared to the disciples when Thomas wasn’t there. When Thomas returned, he said he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive until he saw the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and the wound in His side. A few days later, Jesus appeared again and told Thomas to touch the nail marks in His hands and the wound on His side. Jesus offered Thomas the exact thing Thomas needed to stop doubting and to believe. When we are lost in doubt, sometimes He does the same for us.
Thank you, Sherry. Thomas is a great example. God is so patient and loving to us. He really does generously give us wisdom.
This Scripture in James was the first one that moved me to even know what faith was. Once I could get ahold of the fact that God would give me wisdom I could trust the thoughts and Scriptures He brought to me and not second guess everything that came along. It came down to trusting Him and His wisdom for me. Great post, Rachel.
WoW! Thanks for sharing this testimony, Ann! I’m so thankful how God used this passage to move your heart to trust Him.
Wow. Wow wow wow. I’ve been struggling with work stuff and how to know if I’m making the right decisions for the business. I feel like I get so confused when making a hard decision. I was just telling my husband about how I feel like I ask but I don’t feel like I get an answer. You hit it right on the head. I’m asking for wisdom, but I’m going and leaving with doubt. Thanks so much!!!
Oh, I’m so thankful that God used this post to encourage you and give you some wisdom and insight. He is so good!