Did You See That Connection?

Ask…ask for wisdom! I can’t count how many times I’ve reflected on James 1:5, claimed it in my prayer life, and used it to encourage others. On its head, it’s an incredible text. Our Father invites us to ask for wisdom, the very thing we most need(!), and then promises to give it to us generously and without holding back. He is the unchanging Father of Lights who gives us every good and perfect gift!

But what does it look like when He grants our request? For years I’ve assumed the answer looked like 1 Kings 3:4-15. In that well-known passage, the Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” When Solomon asked for a discerning heart, the Lord blessed him and gave him what he requested. What’s more, He added wealth and honor, and if Solomon remained faithful to the Lord, also a long life.

Solomon’s example in that passage should encourage imitation. We should ask the Lord for a discerning heart to understand right and wrong and wisdom to use our influence well. However, the question implied by James 1:5 isn’t answered in the Historical Books of the Old Testament, it’s addressed clearly later in James’ letter! There is a direct connection found in chapter 3, introduced by another question.

“Who is wise and understanding among you?” asks James in chapter 3, verse 13.  It could be asked in another way, “What does it look like when God gives wisdom to those who ask for it?” In a recent sermon, I pointed out this connection. The rest of the passage (James 3:13-18) describes what a wise person looks like.

Is God’s impartation of wisdom measured by saying the right thing in one situation? Or by our ability to give someone a good piece of advice? That might be a small indication that we possess wisdom from above. But the larger one is this – am I pure, peaceful, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, and without hypocrisy? That’s what the wisdom we are begging for looks like.

Gaining wisdom doesn’t look like some ambiguous “enlightenment” where we transcend into the position of a sage who gives people pithy sayings and writes fortune cookies. No, the wisdom from above looks like Jesus, who – according to the Gospels and Philippians 2:5-8, demonstrated humility and all the qualities listed in James 3:13-18.

Are you asking for wisdom in faith? If so, the results will be evident in your life.