Preaching James: Walk The Walk
James 1:5-8
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.
6 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.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Years ago before my oldest son was born I began a project to restore a bedroom chest of drawers that belonged to me when I was small and had also belonged to my father when he was small. So I wanted to complete this project before my son was born so that we could place it in the nursery and he would have it growing up. But it needed a lot of work. And so I stored the chest of drawers in my landlord’s woodshed and I’d go over there after work and work on it.
It still had this strange blend of colors that had been painted on it, popular in the early 70s, a mixture of green and brown swirls all over it. And I wanted to strip it down to its original wood and just stain it so all the paint had to be removed along with, as I discovered much to my dismay, another color of paint underneath it.
And after the paint was removed I had to remove a bit of the ruined wood near the bottom of the chest of drawers where it had gotten wet, a bit of unwanted and splintered wood at the base. I had to remove it and then sand away the rough edges. In fact, the sanding was some of the most grueling work. It took a long time to sand the entire piece of furniture, smoothing out all the rough spots before it was ready to have a new coat of stain applied to it.
While the piece was unfinished it looked pretty rough. I didn’t have a lot of time to work on it so it sat incomplete in my landlord’s shed for some weeks and months. He was eager for me to finish the job, but I only had so much time after work each day to devote to it. So it sat in the shed incomplete for many weeks waiting for me to finish the job.
When it was finally finished it, I have to say that it looked really good! In fact, it still looks good and both of my boys have benefited from having it in their respective rooms as they grew up in our home.
In many ways James is teaching us that God is doing a work in our lives that is largely incomplete until He has finished His perfect work of restoration. And just like a piece of furniture, God often has to first “strip us down,” allowing trials into our lives to remove some of the rough edges of our personalities or the unwanted shards and splinters of our erroneous thinking. He breaks off all the unwanted stuff that doesn’t look like Jesus as He tests and strengthens our faith. He sands and smoothes and ultimately restores us into something beautiful, conforming us to the glorious image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29).
In the last chapter, we read where James made this very point in verse 4, “But let patience (or endurance) have its perfect work (or, its full effect), that you may be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking nothing.”
And so James now writes in verse 5, “(and) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,” which is to say, “If this work I am doing in your life, ‘stripping away and sanding you’ through trials of adversity and difficulty, if this does not seem to make sense to you and you lack wisdom, ask of Me and I will help you out.”
God provides wisdom for troubled times. There is power available to us as we persevere through hardships and difficulties. In these verses James tell us what to do, how to do it, and what happens if we do it wrong. First:
What to Do:
Ask God for wisdom
God gives His wisdom generously to all who ask Him. James says we need only, “Ask of God.” Note that carefully. Ask of God. He is the One to whom you go. He is the One to whom we pray. The Bible never says, “Ask of Mary” or, “Ask of Saint Monica,” to pray along with you. Ask of God.
The NIV puts it this way: “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.”
Ask God for wisdom. And if you ask Him, here is the promise: He will give it. He will give wisdom generously to all who ask Him. He will not rebuke anyone for asking. He’ll not say something like: “What are you doing here asking me for wisdom?!” He will not turn anyone away who asks for wisdom.
And God has an infinite supply of wisdom. Paul declares: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Romans 11:33a)!” So we need only ask of God and He will gladly give to us because He always has a rich supply in store.
Incidentally, verse 5 is often cited apart from its context. Make no mistake: it will stand on its own. In faith, we can ask God for wisdom no matter our need and God is glad to oblige us. So you can ask God for wisdom when you are struggling with a problem, trying to figure something out, for example. It may not be a particular trial or hardship, but you’re just trying to solve a solution at work or something similar and you ask God for wisdom.
But the real effect of this verse is found in the context of what James has just said about trials, hardships, difficulties and affliction. It is in the context of God’s working in our lives, testing us, strengthening us, chipping away all the stuff that doesn’t look like Jesus, stripping us down in order to “finish us,” mature us and complete us. It is in this context that James says, “Now by the way, if you are having a hard time persevering through the trials, and you need help seeing things as God sees them, then just ask for wisdom and I will give it to you.”
Someone said that wisdom is the ability to see our circumstances from God’s perspective. I like that idea—even if I can’t exactly see the way that God sees—because I am reminded that God is working through our circumstances, conforming us into Christlikeness.
So what are we to do if we need wisdom during troubled times? We ask of God. That’s what to do. Next:
How to Do it:
Ask in faith, with no doubting
James writes, “But let him ask in faith, without doubting.”
Now at first that may sound impossible! After all, Don’t we all doubt?I We struggle with doubts all the time.
It seems that what James wants us to do is to determine whether our trust is really in God or perhaps in something (or someone) else. We often say we trust God. It would seem James is challenging us to consider whether we really trust God or whether we just say we trust God.
Do we trust God at the first and then begin to waver? Do we trust God at the first, but then begin to rely upon our own abilities or our own reasoning? James goes on to say that when we respond this way we are like a wave of the sea tossed about.
The New Living Translation of verse 6 is helpful: “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.”
We are to have an undivided faith, a settled trust in God, a belief that He is at work and that He always does what is right. So we must not waver. We must continue to stand firm in our reliance upon God.
When we “doubt” we are in essence saying, “God, I’m not sure I really trust You. I’m not sure I really believe that You are in control and that You always do what is right.” When we think this way we are beginning to rest upon our own reason rather than resting upon God. This is the principle taught in Proverbs 3 that many know and love:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways [acknowledge Him, or] submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones (Proverbs 3:5-8).
Rather than attempting to be “wise in our own eyes,” we are to trust in the Lord with all of our heart. Solomon warns, “Don’t lean upon your own reasoning.” Reason, yes! Think, yes! But don’t lean upon your own understanding, don’t rely solely upon it. Rather, fear the Lord, which brings health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
This brings us to James’ final consideration regarding wisdom for troubled times. We have read about what to do (ask God for wisdom), how to do it (ask in faith, with no doubting), and now:
What Happens if You Do it Wrong
You’ll be unstable in all your ways
Not trusting in God, but placing our trust somewhere else, such as relying on own abilities, makes us unstable. We’ll be unstable “in all our ways” like aimless waves of the sea driven by the wind, moving one way, then another, carried about with little sense of peace or purpose.
James also gives another illustration of what happens when we say we trust in the Lord, but then doubt Him by trusting in ourselves or relying exclusively upon some other counsel. He says we become a “double-minded man.” What a picture! Literally, it is to have “two minds,” one about God and one about something else. It is to have a willingness on the one hand to trust in God, but then to doubt God by trusting in human reason, or natural abilities, and so on.
And the reason this is so problematic is that by our doubting we are indicating we are unsure about God’s goodness and character. Think about it: When are you most likely to doubt God’s goodness and character? Isn’t it when you are going through especially difficult trials? We are vulnerable to wrong ways of thinking when we suffer hardships, difficulties, and affliction. During those times we may doubt God’s goodness.
It’s easier to talk about the goodness of God and His gracious abounding love and mercy when we’re not going through any hardships. But when the trials come, we must remember the goodness of God. We must remember the character of God, that He always does what is right. Otherwise, we begin to doubt His character and we attempt to mix our faith in God with our own reason or abilities or the advice of others.
When I was small I remember watching a game show called the Hollywood Squares. It was a kind of Tic-Tac-Toe game where Hollywood movie stars or personalities each occupied a square and the stars were asked questions by the host and the star would give an answer and sometimes it was the right answer, sometimes it was a bluff, or just a downright incorrect answer. But they’d give an answer to the question and then the host would ask the contestant, “Do you agree, or disagree with what so and so has said; agree or disagree?”
And then the contestant would weight what he heard and judge the veracity of the star’s answer. Maybe the contestant felt he knew better than the star and he might respond, “Disagree,” or maybe he didn’t know the answer and was banking on the star’s knowledge and so he’d reply, “Agree.” And the host would look on his card and say whether the star had answered the question correctly.
Some people treat God like He’s a star in the game show Hollywood Squares. They want His input so they open His Word and God speaks, but they want to weigh the veracity of what He has said against their own experience. They want to weigh God’s Word against their own knowledge or their own feelings and so while God has spoken they may say, “I disagree.” James says they are a double-minded man, trying to mix Godly wisdom with worldly wisdom.
Where does this kind of thinking lead? Instability. I don’t know anyone who actually wants to be “unstable in all his ways,” but would rather desire to remain stable in his trust in God and dependence upon Him for wisdom.
In closing, let’s consider a few ways that God grants His wisdom to us when we encounter troubled times. God grants wisdom primarily in four ways: through His Word (the Bible), through prayer, through the Holy Spirit, and through wise Christians. Of course, these are not the only ways God grants wisdom, but these are, in my estimation, the primary ways God grants wisdom.
God’s Word
If you seek God’s wisdom, consider a regular daily time of Bible reading. The Bible is not just an ancient near eastern book full of sage advice. The Bible is God’s Word. We must read it regularly if we hope to have something of the wisdom of God.
Before you read the Bible pray this simple prayer: “God, open Your Word to me and open me to Your Word.” Listen to God speak to you as you read His Word and you will be strengthened to stand in the face of adversity. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
Prayer
This is the most obvious way as it is given in verse 5, “Ask of God.” Pray. Talk to God. James knew something about talking to God. Church history records James as having the nickname, “Old camel knees.” In other words, his knees had become tough and calloused from kneeling often in prayer, so much so that his knees looked like the knees of a camel.
Pray every day. Pray in the morning. Pray throughout the day. And especially when you find yourself in the midst of troubled times, talk to the Lord. It’s right here in the text: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.”
Holy Spirit
If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13). God is in you to guide you and lead you along. And the Bible says in Ephesians 5:18 that we are to “be filled” with the Spirt. I like to be aware of His presence, so often I will bow my head, close my eyes, and I’ll say, “Spirit, fill me. Take complete control of my life.”
And especially in these times when we are going through hardships we stop to bow our heads and close our eyes and say, “Spirit, fill me. Take control of my life” and God will guide us. He will lead us to think, to speak, and to do, what is right.
Wise Christians
We get by with a little help from our friends, Christian friends. Don’t misunderstand: non-Christian friends can help too, but wise Christian friends are a particular source of strength because they will counsel us from the Word of God. Their counsel squares with God’s truth (or at least, it should!).
Wise Christians are found in our local church (the most immediate and most important location) as well as other places. Good books, for example, books written by wise Christians, books full of Scripture and sound theology help us weather the storms of life. Wisdom for troubled times can also come through sermons, preachers on the radio or podcasts, or other Christians—wise, growing Christians—Christians with whom we worship or Christians in our small group or Sunday school class.
These are the primary means by which God grants wisdom: the Bible, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and wise Christians. We must avail ourselves to each of these means consistently if we hope to grow in wisdom.
What About You?
- How significant is the context in which verse 5 is found (following James’ teaching about trials)?
- What do you think causes us to doubt the goodness of God?
- Of the four primary ways God grants wisdom, which needs a little more attention on your part?
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