Last Halloween was unseasonably cold and windy in Nashville, so we had fewer trick-or-treaters than usual. I was ready to call it a night when a young Cinderella—about six years old—strolled up the driveway. I tossed a handful of candy in her bag and told her she looked stunning. She politely thanked me and gazed in the bowl I was holding. She hesitated for a moment—grinned a toothy grin—and asked, “Ma’am, may I have that Snickers bar?”
Her assertiveness delighted me to no end. At that moment, I would’ve given her the whole bowl of candy, but instead, I granted her request and handed her the Snickers bar. Once again, she thanked me politely and rejoined her mother, who was waiting at the end of the driveway. I remember thinking, “She’s going to go far.”
How many times have you wanted something—even needed something— but for a variety of reasons didn’t feel comfortable asking? In James 1, he encourages readers to ask God for wisdom:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).
All of us experience times when we lack wisdom. When we do, it’s natural to feel vulnerable and attempt to cover up what we don’t know for fear of embarrassment. But the Bible tells us repeatedly to pursue wisdom (Prov. 3:13; 4:7-9; 16:16). In God’s economy, wisdom isn’t reserved only for intellectuals and the highly educated—it’s for everybody (Prov. 8:4-5). And James takes things a step further by encouraging us to ask for wisdom.
Why is wisdom so crucial?
Wisdom is the way God’s people discern and live out the will of God in their daily lives.[1] The opposite of wisdom is foolishness and who wants to be a fool? In our prayer lives, we often take our daily needs to God and ask for provision regarding our jobs, health, and needs that pertain to comfort and maintaining the status quo. There’s nothing wrong with those types of prayer requests because the Bible invites us to cast all of our cares on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). But how often are we praying for things that pertain to our spiritual growth and maturity? How diligently are we asking for God to bless our spiritual development? How often are we asking for wisdom?
James isn’t the only one in Scripture who encouraged God’s people to ask. Jesus said:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:7-12).
It’s God’s will for His people to grow in wisdom. Not a single one of us would intentionally choose to be foolish. The Scriptures make it clear that God delights in giving His children good things, and we are encouraged to ask.
So, what are we waiting for?
[1] Douglas J. Moo, The New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2000, 57).
