3. Asking for Wisdom
– WISELY "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). This is a verse many of us know and love. It seems to promise unbounded wisdom and that if we just ask for it, God will generously give it to us. Certainly, it is in God's power to grant unbounded and universal wisdom to anyone he wishes, but does God really work that way – is that what this verse really means?
Wisdom is an important theme in the epistle of James, but we must understand what the apostle meant by the concept and how he says we can receive it. Today, we tend to think of wisdom as being synonymous with great knowledge or deep understanding, but for James wisdom is quite different – it is primarily our right response to problems, difficulties, and to life itself. Notice how he contrasts that kind of wisdom with false, wrongly-oriented wisdom:
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts … Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice (James 3:13-16). Wisdom, for James, clearly has to do with our way of life rather than what we know. In fact, James continues his thought on this by saying:
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17).
It is this kind of "wisdom" – the basis of wise living rather than knowledge and understanding – that "comes from heaven" that James is telling us God will give to us if we ask.
Once we realize this, we can better understand what James means about how we ask for wisdom and how God grants it. Do we just ask for wisdom in general and God then gives us wisdom regarding anything and everything? Put the question in human terms. If you walk into your local bank branch and tell the manager "I want a big loan; just give me money" – is the banker likely to help, or will he or she ask: "How much do you need and for what purpose?"
In the same way, what we often miss in James' words on asking for wisdom is their context. If we look carefully at the immediately preceding verses, we see James is writing about a very specific situation. He says:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4). James' immediate context is one of persecution. He tells believers that trials can bring about spiritual maturity in which we do not lack anything needed to deal with such problems (vs. 4). But if we do lack wisdom – implying wisdom in dealing with matters of persecution and patience – James says we can ask God and he will help us.
Consider another example of this principle – that of the story of God granting wisdom to King Solomon. When God appeared to Solomon and offered him anything he wanted, Solomon did not simply ask for wisdom. Notice his request to God:
… give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? (1 Kings 3:9). Because Solomon asked for wisdom in a specific context – to do the work of ruling Israel – God was well pleased and granted him great wisdom in many areas (1 Kings 3:12, 28) as well as other blessings.
But we should remember that Solomon asked for the wisdom he needed in a specific situation. So it is perhaps not surprising that in the compositions believed to be written by Solomon, he often ties wisdom to particular contexts. Notice the wording of just one example:
Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure (Ecclesiastes 8:5). Here, we see wisdom relating to "proper times" and "procedures," and in many of the proverbs of Solomon, wisdom is tied to specific needs and circumstances in this same way.
So when we consider the wider biblical context, the words of James regarding wisdom become clear. God rarely, if ever, gives unneeded gifts. If we desire wisdom, his word indicates we should not ask to be given wisdom for its own sake, without specific purpose. But we can humbly take our needs to God and ask for wisdom in the areas of life where we need it in order to best fulfill his will and our calling – and then, as James affirms, God will be most pleased to give it to us.