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Sermons from James |
WISDOM FREE FOR THE ASKING |
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A poster read:
A
PRAYER TO BE SAID
We all have found ourselves in situations where we wanted to cry “Help!” In our last study we saw that James reminds us that trials are certain and unavoidable. We learned that the question is not what to do if trials come, but what to do when trials comes. Beginning in verse 5, he now tells us how to pray and what to ask for when trials come. For what should we ask for when trials come? James tells us that we should ask for wisdom. You might be thinking, “That’s a strange thing to ask for when you are neck-deep in adversity and affliction. I like the prayer for “help” better.” Yet, as we consider the passage we will see that wisdom is exactly what we should ask for when we are facing trials. What is this wisdom for which we should pray? First, let me say that wisdom is not knowledge. It is possible to have knowledge and not have wisdom. We live in a day and time when man’s knowledge is expanding rapidly. We have been hearing a lot about stem-cell research and the cloning of human beings. I was watching the news a couple of days ago and they were telling about a new pill that patients can take. It is not a pill that relieves pain or cures some sickness but is actually a camera that will take pictures of a person’s intestines. Who would have ever thought that the day would come that we would be swallowing cameras? Man’s knowledge has made him capable of doing things that defies imagination. Yet the knowledge explosion of our generation does not necessarily translate into man being wiser. A person can have a PhD from Harvard or Yale and not be wise (watching and listening to some on the TV talk shows proves that). You can know a lot about certain things and be considered an expert in a certain field, yet not be wise. Wisdom is not knowledge. Wisdom is not education. Wisdom is not the possession of information. Let me give you an example. Most are familiar with the name Albert Einstein. He is considered one of the greatest intellects this world has ever known. In fact, when he died his brain was removed from his body and dissected in search of learning why some people are intellectually superior. There is no question that Einstein was a brilliant man, but I am not so sure that he was all that wise. At a conference attended by outstanding churchmen and scientists, he said, “In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God.”
Now you
can have an exceptionally high I.Q., and have such intellectual capacities that
men would want to study your brain after you are dead, but at the same time
actually be a fool. What do I mean? The Bible says, “The fool hath said in
his heart, There is no God...” I agree
with Earl of Shaftesbury of England, who said during his education campaign in
the nineteenth century, “Education without instruction in religious and moral
principles will merely result in a race of clever devils.” Job
said in Job 32:9, “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged
understand judgment.”
What is
wisdom? Let me give you an excellent definition of wisdom. Wisdom is “the
God-given insight into our human circumstances and situations that enables man
to see God’s will…”(1) First, think with me of: 1. WHY WISDOM IS REQUIRED! I ran across a statement that I thought was very applicable to our subject: “Unless there is within us that which is above us, we will soon yield to that which is around.” That is exactly what James is talking about. When he talks about wisdom he is talking about something within us that comes from above that equips and enables us to deal with that around us. As we thinking about this wisdom, notice first: A. The Lack Of Wisdom. Notice verse 5 and the words, “If any of you lack wisdom…” The word “lack” speaks of something that is “absent or missing.” In this case, it speaks of the absence of wisdom. It is very obvious that James views an absence of wisdom as a serious matter. Why? As we saw in our last study, trials always have a divine purpose in our life. Wisdom enables us to look at our trials with the understanding that our trials are not without rhyme and reason. Wisdom equips us to face our trials and enables us to trust God with the purpose and end result of our trials.
David
Jeremiah, who has not been without his own personal trial of dealing with
cancer, wrote in his book on James: “When facing trials, it is important to
know how to cope with them. The only way that we will be able to understand
these trials and respond to them properly is to ask for the wisdom which God
alone can give.”
(5) Understanding this, one can see why it is important that we have wisdom when we are going through trials. If we cannot or do not see that trials have a divine purpose, our trials can make us bitter, leaving us frustrated, discouraged, and complaining. But on the other hand, wisdom allows us to understand that our trials are working on our behalf and are for our benefit. In a nutshell, James tells us trials will come, therefore we need to pray for more than “help.” We need to pray for wisdom so we can see those trials from a divine perspective and be able to face those trials. Wisdom equips us for trials. Wisdom enables us to face trials. A lack of wisdom leaves us unable to see the trials for what they are and leaves us without the ability to face and cope with the trials. Secondly, notice: B. The Longing For Wisdom. James says in verse 5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…” The particular word “ask” is the common word for asking. Yet it means more than just asking for something. The word carries the idea of “desiring, craving, or begging.” James is telling us that our asking for wisdom comes from a longing for wisdom. When we face the trials of life we should ask God for wisdom. We should ask with a deep desire that God give us what we need to understand and face our trials. This is why wisdom is required when we face trials. Again, wisdom is the ability to understand that trials have a divine purpose and the ability to face our trials and go through them. Secondly, think with me of:
2. WHERE
WISDOM IS RECEIVED!
In the
definition I gave you earlier, we saw that wisdom is a “God-given insight.”
This wisdom does not come from within us or from any human or earthly resource.
This wisdom only comes from God. James says in verse 5, “If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God…” Are you going through some trial? Then you need wisdom. Where does this wisdom come from? It comes from God. How do we get this wisdom? We ask God for it. Notice what James says about this wisdom. First, he tells us that: A. Wisdom Comes From A Giving God. James says in verse 5 that God, “giveth to all men.” God is a great giver! Notice James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God’s giving is expressed in many ways and realized in many ways. The “good” and “perfect” gifts that we enjoy all come from the hand of God. He is the one who gives—and in this case, gives wisdom. Do you need wisdom? Then ask for wisdom. God will give you wisdom if you ask. Secondly, he tells us that: B. Wisdom Comes From A Generous God.
James tells us that God gives “liberally.”
The word “liberally” speaks of “bountiful” giving. The word literally
means, “to stretch out.” It pictures God stretching or spreading out a
table. I have so often said that God is
not a Brylcream God—just a dab with do. He bountifully and liberally bestows
His gifts upon us. The Psalmist said in Psalm 68:19, “Blessed
be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Selah.” Do you need wisdom? Ask God for wisdom and He will not only give you wisdom but wisdom in abundance. Thirdly, he tells us that: C. Wisdom Comes From A Gracious God. James also tells us in verse 5 that when we ask for wisdom that God “upbraideth not.” The word “upbraideth” means that God does not “scold” us for asking. You can come to God as many times as you want and never have to worry about Him saying, “Why are coming back again? You just asked me yesterday for something.” Blessed be His name, I can keep coming to God asking for wisdom and He will never scold me for doing so. Wisdom comes from God. It is a God-given insight and a God-given ability to face the trials of life. Wisdom only comes from a giving, generous, and gracious God. Thirdly, we see: 3. WHEN WISDOM IS REFUSED! James tells us that wisdom is free for the asking, but then continues by explaining the conditions of our asking. We can ask for wisdom but we must ask in a certain way in order to received wisdom. First, notice that James speaks of: A. Unbelieving Prayer. We read in verse 6, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” We are told that we must ask in faith. When should not ask in doubt or unbelief. We are not to waver in our asking. The words, “nothing wavering,” simply mean, “do not doubt.” James describes the person who doubt’s like the waves of the sea. They are up and down, tossed about by the wind. The lack of faith will leave us hot one day and cold the next; up one day and down the next; in one day and out the next. We are to pray in faith, which simply means that when we pray we must believe that God will give us the wisdom for which we ask. In verse 8 we see that James speaks of those who do not believe when they pray as a double-minded man. We read, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” The word “double-minded” literally mean, “two-souls.” There is a divided heart. There is a part that says, “I believe” and a part that says, “I doubt.” James says such a person is unstable in all his ways. Again, he is up and down like the waves of the sea. But notice further that he speaks of: B. Unanswered Prayer. Why is faith necessary when we ask for wisdom? Notice verse 7, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Who is “that man?” It is the doubting man. James says that if we will not have faith when we pray that we are not to even think that God will answer our prayer. If we will not ask in faith, we might as well not ask at all. We will not receive one thing from God if we do not ask in faith. Our prayers will be unanswered. Are you going through a trial? Then you need to ask God for wisdom. You need to ask God in faith, believing that He will give you wisdom. You need to ask for wisdom so that you will be able to face your trial and cope with your trial. You need wisdom to be able to see that your trial is not without purpose. Wisdom will enable you to look at your trial from God’s perspective and when you see it from God’s perspective, you will face your trial with a different attitude. Andrew Murray was going through a personal trial. One morning while he was eating breakfast, his hostess told him there was a woman downstairs that was going through a great trial and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Murray handed her a piece of paper he had been writing on and said, “Give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful.” On that piece of paper Murray had written, “In time of trouble say, ‘First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.’ Next, ‘He will keep me here in His live, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.’ Then say, ‘He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.’ And last, say, ‘In His good time He can bring me out again. How and when, He knows.’ Therefore I say, ‘I am here (1) by God’s appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time.’”
It sounds to me that Andrew Murray had asked God for wisdom
and had received that wisdom.
1. John Blanchard, Truth for Life 2. Turning Toward Integrity |