In our previous post on James 1, we discussed how God is “refinishing” Christians through various trials and hardships to “complete” them, making them look more like Christ.
And when Christians find themselves in the throes of these “various trials,” James teaches that they are to ask God for wisdom:
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 (James 1:5)
Today’s post examines how to ask for wisdom and what happens when we “do it wrong.”
How to Do It
Ask in faith, with no doubting (James 1:6)
Now, at first, that may sound impossible! After all, don’t we all doubt? 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 seems James is challenging us to consider whether we really trust God or just say we trust God.
Do we trust God at first and then begin to waver? Do we first trust God but then start relying upon our abilities or reasoning? James says 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 blown and tossed by the wind.”
We must have an undivided faith, a settled trust in God, and a belief that He is at work and 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 essentially say, “God, I’m not sure I trust You. I’m not sure I believe You are in control and always do what is right.” When we think this way, we are beginning to rest upon our reasoning 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
Proverbs 3:5-8, NIV
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways 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
Rather than attempting to be “wise in our own eyes,” we must trust the Lord with all our hearts. 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. Instead, fear the Lord, which brings your body health and nourishes 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 When We Do It Wrong
You’ll be unstable in all your ways (James 1:8)
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 illustrates 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! It is to have “two minds,” one about God and one about something else. On the one hand, it is to be willing to trust in God but then to doubt God by trusting in human reason, natural abilities, and so on.
And this is so problematic because by doubting, we are indicating we are unsure about God’s goodness and character. Think about it: When will you most likely 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 not forget the character of God, that He always does what is right. Otherwise, we begin to doubt His character and attempt to mix our faith in God with our own reason, or our own 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 host asked the stars questions. After the star answered—and sometimes it was the correct answer, occasionally a bluff, and sometimes the wrong answer—the host would ask the contestant, “Do you agree or disagree?”
And then, the contestant would weigh 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 perhaps he didn’t know the answer and was banking on the star’s knowledge, so he’d reply, “Agree.” And the host would look at 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 knowledge or feelings. And so, while God has spoken, they may respond, “I disagree.” James says they are double-minded, trying to mix godly wisdom with worldly wisdom.
Where does this kind of thinking lead? It leads to instability. I don’t know anyone who wants to be “unstable in all his ways,” but this is precisely what happens when we choose to go against God.
In closing, let’s consider a few ways that God grants His wisdom to us when we encounter troubled times. God gives wisdom primarily in four ways: through His Word (the Bible), through prayer, through the Holy Spirit, and wise Christians. Of course, these are not the only ways God grants wisdom, but in my estimation, these are the primary ways God gives wisdom.
We’ll talk more about these four ways next time!
**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 13-16, available on Amazon.
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