Wisdom for the Asking

Grace Valley Christian Center is located next door to a major university. At this university one can take courses in business, literature, technology, philosophy, science, and women’s studies. You cannot, however, take a course in the wisdom of God. But here in this church we proclaim the wisdom of God, and those who humble themselves will receive it. We need wisdom to live successful lives for the glory of God.

Who are the wisest people in the world? Nobel Prize winners? Professors who teach at Harvard or Oxford? The living presidents of the United States of America? The wealthy people of the world? If you believe in the Bible, you would answer, “No, none of these are the wisest people in the world, for true wisdom does not come from the world.” True wisdom comes only from the true God.

James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God” (v. 5). What we need most in this life is not money, not power, and not a bigger house. What we need most is wisdom from God, so that we may make decisions that are pleasing to God and for our own success.

What Is Wisdom?

According to the Holy Scriptures, the source of all true wisdom is the triune God, who revealed himself in the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son. So we read in Proverbs 2:6, “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” The apostle Paul writes, “But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God. . . . It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:24, 30).

God considers the wisdom of this world foolishness. It is demonic wisdom. James says, “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil” (Jas. 3:15). But God destroys the wisdom of this world. Paul says, “For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’” (1 Cor. 1:19).

In the gospel of the cross, God’s wisdom is especially revealed. Paul says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18). If you have not bowed your knees to Jesus Christ, you are perishing, and you will never succeed in life. But he also says, “But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”

God alone is wise, and he gives wisdom to those who fear him and shun evil. Job asked, “Where can wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12). Can it be found anywhere in God’s created universe? The answer is no. So Job finally arrives at the conclusion that wisdom is found in God alone. He declares, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). Likewise, the psalmist tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts [meaning all who obey God’s covenant word] have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Ps. 111:10).

The wisdom of God is manifested in the righteous conduct of God’s holy people. If a child reveres his parents and obeys them, he is wise. But if he disobeys his parents, he is a fool, and God himself is against him because, ultimately, he is mocking God.

Wisdom teaches us how we should make decisions in all things for the glory of God and for our own eternal happiness. An atheist is a fool who denies God. He has no divine wisdom. He is demon-possessed. He is governed by the god of this world, who has blinded his eyes.

The wisdom of God enables us to choose the right path always. So we read, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls’” (Jer. 6:16). In modern times, we say, “Go to the church that preaches the word of God.” The first mark of a true church is that it preaches God’s word.

Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge to life’s complex problems. Wisdom gives us the ability to see everything, including fiery trials, from God’s point of view. It enables us to rejoice in trials, knowing that trials produce endurance and spiritual maturity in God’s people.

If we have the wisdom of God, then we lack nothing. But if we lack God’s wisdom, we lack everything worth having. Jesus asked, “What does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?” (see Mark 8:36). Think of the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19–31).

This wisdom comes to us from Christ through the Holy Spirit, who enlightens us from the Holy Scriptures, especially as the word is preached by God’s holy ministers. So we are exhorted not to worry when we face trials of every kind because the Holy Spirit shall come upon us, granting us wisdom to deal with our trials. Jesus himself exhorted, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11). He also declared, “I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” (Luke 21:15). Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, preached a powerful sermon, as we read in Acts 7. His adversaries could not contradict him; they killed him instead.

Isaiah spoke about the Holy Spirit filling the Messiah: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD” (Isa. 11:2–3). We are told that this Messiah, Jesus Christ, grew up in wisdom (Luke 2:52) and ministered in the Spirit’s wisdom and power (Acts 10:38).

Children receive wisdom as they listen to the holy teaching of their parents and teachers. They are born sinners and practice sin daily. They need to be born of God’s word, and then learn and mature through the wisdom of the word of God.

The wisdom of God is practical, not theoretical. It is not sitting around, discussing about God, but not putting it into practice. All God’s people need this wisdom, especially leaders, that they may lead, not only their children, but also the church, in the way of God. Solomon prayed for wisdom, and it was given to him.

Babylon and Egypt were leading countries of the world in ancient times, just as the United States of America is now. But they did not have wisdom, for the wisdom of the world is the antithesis of true, divine wisdom. We must receive this wisdom from God himself. So we read about Daniel in Babylon:

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” (Dan. 2:19–23)

Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Dan. 2:27–28a)

What about Joseph? He also was given wisdom while he was in Egypt. We read, “[God] gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace” (Acts 7:10).

What about Stephen? In Acts 6 Peter directed the disciples to choose deacons: “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them” (Acts 6:3). Preachers are to be people full of the Holy Spirit; therefore, full of wisdom to interpret and preach the gospel. Stephen was one of those chosen. And of Stephen it is written, “They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (Acts 6:10).

What about Paul? Peter says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him” (2 Pet. 3:15).

So Jesus received wisdom, Daniel received wisdom, Joseph received wisdom, Stephen received wisdom, and Paul received wisdom. God also gives us wisdom for the asking. But we must first humble ourselves and say, “I lack wisdom. I just don’t have it. O God, give me wisdom.”

Wisdom comes to us from the word of God. So Paul says, “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit ” (1 Cor. 12:8). In Deuteronomy 4:5–6 Moses declared, “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Wisdom from God teaches the pagans of the world that we are light and they are darkness.

It is God’s will that his people be filled with God’s wisdom. So Paul prays, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Eph. 1:17). Elsewhere he says, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9).

God doesn’t want us to lack anything, especially wisdom, for without it we cannot live to please him. Yet money cannot buy this wisdom. The finest universities do not and cannot teach it. It comes only from God, who gives it freely to those who ask for it.

Ask for Wisdom

James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God.” We must ask for wisdom. It is an imperative, a command from God. God does not want his people to be stupid and mindless. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who alone is the source of it. As Christians, we may face situations where we may not know what decision to make. We are to please God in all of life, in everything we do. What should we do?

We should ask, as the Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter. He tested her faith in him by not helping her right away. She kept on praying and her request was granted, and her great faith was praised (Matt. 15:21–28).

We should ask, like the man Jesus spoke about who asked his friend at midnight for three loaves of bread. The friend said, “‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’” Then Jesus said, “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:7–8). Jesus then said, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11–13). The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom.

In Psalm 121:3–4 we read, “[The Lord] will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Our God never tells us, “Don’t bother me. I am in bed.” A human pastor may say that. But God never sleeps or slumbers. His office is open always. So ask, in humility. Ask, confessing, “O God, I don’t have wisdom, but you do. Please give me wisdom. That is my greatest need. I need wisdom.”

The writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). We can receive the greatest gift of wisdom just for the asking.

Blind Bartimaus asked Jesus to give him sight (Mark 10:46–52). The people rebuked him, telling him to stop bothering Jesus. But he shouted all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and healed him. We can have sight for the asking, wisdom for the asking, salvation for the asking. Ask, with prayer and fasting.

Ask the Ever-Giving God

Whom do we ask? James says, “He should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” In the Greek, it is “Ask the ever-giving God.”

The very nature of God is to give. Creation itself is an act of giving. God did not have to create anything. Yet he is like the sun, always shining. In Acts 14 we read, “[God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17). God is love, and love gives. The apostle John speaks of God’s greatest gift: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

What about Jesus Christ? Paul uses him as an example of giving: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). He is the ever-giving God.

What about Satan? Satan comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). But Jesus came to give eternal life to those under his wrath. He says, “Everyone who is thirsty, come to me. Come all who are thirsty. Come all who are weary. Come, buy and eat. Come without money. The feast is ready.” Ask and receive wisdom from the ever-giving God, who is ever-ready to receive you. He welcomes only the poor and needy. The rich and the self-righteous he sends empty away.

He Gives to All Who Come to Him

James writes, “He should ask God, who gives generously to all.” Our God gives to anyone who lacks, to anyone who comes and asks God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost. We are justified by the blood of Christ and adopted as children of God. We have rights. We have free access to God himself by grace. He gives to all without partiality—Jew, Gentile, rich and poor, master and slave. To all!

He Gives to All Generously, without Insult

God gives wisdom to all generously. He opens the windows of heaven and pours out a rich blessing until we have no room to receive it (Mal. 3:10). As we read in 2 Kings 4:6, “When all the jars were full, [the widow] said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left’.” That was not God’s problem; it was theirs. God always gives generously to his people. So Paul writes, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). What an amazing statement! Paul says elsewhere, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). He also declares, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him ” (Rom. 10:12).

God does not insult us when we come to him; rather, he welcomes and embraces us, as the father embraced the prodigal and kissed him: “[The son] got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). He will not insult us for bothering him. And he will grant our request for wisdom because it is a prayer according to God’s will. (PGM) He desires for us to have divine wisdom, so he will fill us with the Spirit of wisdom, counsel, knowledge, understanding, power, and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. He will give us insight into the word of God. He will direct us, saying, “This is the way; walk ye in it” (Isa. 30:21). He will enable us to do whatever he requires of us.

What does God require of us? In Deuteronomy 10:12 we read, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God,” which is what wisdom is, “to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

It Shall Be Given Him

Wisdom shall be given to him who comes to God and asks. This is a guarantee, a promise from God who cannot lie. God is truth, and his word is truth. God always speaks truth and fulfills all his promises. “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). Man promises and then changes his mind. But as Paul states, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20).

We Must Ask in Faith

Then James says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (v. 6). We must ask in faith, not doubting. Those who come to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Without faith it is impossible to please God (see Heb. 11:6).

Jesus said, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matt. 9:29). Those who ask God, not in faith but doubting him, are insulting him. A doubting person says that God is incompetent, that God is like man—a liar who promises but cannot deliver. Such a doubter does not believe in the God of the Scriptures, the God of creation, the God of providence, the God of redemption. He mocks God. But he is a fool, and he will receive nothing but divine judgment.

Come to God in faith. Come to him with a sincere heart. Come to him with a wholehearted devotion and pray wholeheartedly, “I believe; please help my unbelief!” Come to God in faith, the faith he himself gives us, as we read in Acts 3:16: “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

Elijah asked the unbelieving, doubting people of Israel, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). The doubter is like the wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. He never gets anything from the Lord except punishment. He lacks confidence in God. He is characterized by unbelief, a sin God will not forgive. The unbeliever insults God, and God despises him, calling him “that sort of man” (v. 7). He is uncommitted. He wants to serve two masters, God and Money. This cannot be done. The double-minded person never serves the true God.

A double-minded man is a dirty person. James says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jas. 4:8). If you doubt God, you are dirty in your heart and conscience. God hates such double-minded people (Psalm 119:113).

The doubter is never secure. He who trusts in God is secure in all his life, but the doubter is always wavering like the wave of the sea through unbelief. The doubter has no anchor for his soul. The Hebrews writer declares, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19). The unbeliever has no anchor for his soul. He has a split personality. He always changes his mind.

The Lord himself asks such doubters, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears” (Hos. 6:4). He also says, “They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements” (Hos. 10:4a). But he who prays in faith honors God and receives his request generously and unconditionally. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. He prays for and receives wisdom.

The doubter is called dipsuchos (double-souled), a word possibly coined by James himself. A doubter is not a “Yes” or “No” man; he is always a “Yes” and “No” person. You cannot trust such a person when he gets married. When he confesses, “Jesus is Lord,” and gets baptized, you cannot trust him. He marries, only to divorce. He gets a job, only to quit. He joins a church, only to leave. He makes promises, only to negate them. He moves to one location, only to relocate to another. He does everything in doubt. Have nothing to do with such a person.

Paul said, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23, KJV). Everything a doubter does is sin. He is like a pendulum; he ever-vacillates. He is a slave to his changing feelings. He makes a decision, but after a while, he changes his mind. He thinks he wants to study engineering. But after a while, he changes his major. Then he changes again, and again, until he has changed several more times. He is like the wave of the sea. He is here, he is there, he is everywhere, driven by the wind of his feelings. He is unstable in all areas of his life. He starts something, but soon he loses interest and abandons that project. He never finishes anything. He is a failure in life. Yet he may assert that he is successful. Woe to that woman who marries a double-minded, untrustworthy man.

The early Peter was a doubting man. Like Jesus, Peter wanted to walk on water, and Jesus enabled him to do so. But when Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink. He prayed, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said. “Why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:25–31). Jesus had told him, “Come and walk with me on the water.” Now he says, “Why did you not trust my word?”

Later, Peter told Jesus, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matt. 26:33). Yet then he denied him three times, unlike the other disciples. But Jesus was faithful to Peter. He appeared to him personally after his resurrection and encouraged him (John 21).

Peter started out as a dipsuchos, a doubter. But Jesus made him into Peter, a man of strong faith, who fearlessly bore witness to Christ and eventually suffered crucifixion for his testimony.

Let Us Seek Wisdom from God

Without wisdom, we cannot live for the glory of God. The world has no wisdom. True wisdom must come from above, from the triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is found in the Holy Scriptures, which speak of Jesus Christ, declaring that he must die the death of the cross and be raised from the dead so that everyone who believes in him may be saved. That is wisdom.

Have you honored God by trusting in his Son? It is wisdom to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Maybe you are rich or powerful in this world, but you mock Jesus Christ. Let me assure you, the moment you die, you will descend into hell.

Paul writes in Romans 11:33–36: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

We need the wisdom of God, which is found in and through Jesus Christ. The apostles declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Do you lack wisdom? You have to make decisions, and the first decision you must make, if you have not done so already, is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is on the cross of Christ that the wisdom of God is manifested, which is foolishness to the world. That is the first order of business. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

For those who are Christians: Yes, we may lack wisdom. James says so. But what should we do? Spend money? Go to the university? No university can help you. We must humble ourselves and ask God, who gives to all generously, without finding fault. May God pour out his Holy Spirit upon us, that we will live in wisdom all our lives.