James 1:5–6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

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.

In the opening verses of his epistle James has exhorted these scattered Jewish believers to “count it all joy” when they fall into divers temptations (James 1:2). That is one of the most searching commands in the New Testament. Our natural reaction to affliction is not joy but sorrow; not submission but resistance. We instinctively ask, “Why has this happened?” rather than, “Lord, what art Thou teaching me?”

James reminds us that trials are not meaningless interruptions in the Christian life. They are part of God’s gracious purpose in sanctifying His people. The trying of our faith worketh patience, and patience, when allowed to have her perfect work, produces spiritual maturity (James 1:3–4).

But that immediately raises another question.

How can we possibly respond like this?

How can we rejoice when the future is uncertain, when the diagnosis is frightening, when bereavement has entered our home, when the pressure seems relentless or when our prayers appear unanswered?

James answers with one word—wisdom.

If believers are to endure trials with patience, they must first understand something of God’s purpose in those trials. They need wisdom to see beyond present circumstances and to trust the sovereign God who is working all things together for their good.

This is not earthly wisdom acquired through education, intelligence or experience. It is heavenly wisdom, imparted by God through His Spirit. Left to ourselves, none of us naturally responds to suffering with calmness and faith. We need wisdom from above.

James therefore directs every suffering believer to the God who delights to give it.

Acknowledging Our Lack of Wisdom

James begins very simply:

“If any of you lack wisdom…” (James 1:5).

There is an assumption in those words that every Christian ought to recognise. We all lack wisdom.

There are many things that people boast about. Some glory in their education. Others in their experience. Some trust their own instincts and others their achievements. Yet James sweeps all human confidence aside with one brief statement.

“If any of you lack wisdom…”

Who among us would honestly say that we do not?

The reason is not difficult to understand. Our first parents believed Satan’s lie that they could become wise apart from God (Genesis 3:5–6). Ever since the Fall, mankind has sought wisdom independently of his Creator. Sin has not merely affected our actions; it has darkened our understanding. We are naturally foolish because we are naturally sinful.

That is why the Christian life begins, not with self-confidence, but with humility.

James, as a Jewish writer, was deeply influenced by the Book of Proverbs. Solomon repeatedly extols the value of wisdom.

“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee” (Proverbs 2:10–11).

Notice that wisdom does not merely inform the mind; it enters the heart. It changes the whole direction of a person’s life.

Again Solomon writes:

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (Proverbs 3:13–15).

What an assessment!

Men spend their lives accumulating wealth, building businesses and enlarging possessions. Yet Solomon says that wisdom is of infinitely greater value than silver, gold or precious jewels.

The truly wealthy man is the man who possesses the wisdom of God.

“Wisdom, in the Bible sense of the word, is the grandest and the rest of the the acquisitions possible to man”.

Robert Johnston

Nor is wisdom merely valuable in business or public life. It is essential in the home.

“Wisdom hath builded her house…” (Proverbs 9:1).

Strong Christian homes are not built simply upon financial security or careful planning. They are built by men and women who seek the wisdom of God in raising children, loving one another and ordering their homes according to Scripture.

Proverbs also teaches that wisdom preserves us morally.

After declaring that wisdom enters the heart, Solomon says that it delivers us “from the way of the evil man” (Proverbs 2:12) and also “from the strange woman” (Proverbs 2:16).

How contemporary those words are!

Never has there been a generation with greater access to temptation than our own. Immorality is celebrated rather than condemned. Through our televisions, computers and mobile phones, temptation enters our homes every day.

We often think the answer lies simply in stronger resolve or stricter rules. Certainly there is a place for practical safeguards, but Solomon points us somewhere deeper.

“When wisdom entereth into thine heart…” (Proverbs 2:10)

When God’s wisdom governs the heart, it begins to govern the life.  It changes our desires as well as our decisions.  It teaches us not only what is right but causes us increasingly to love purity and hate that which dishonours Christ.

Ultimately wisdom brings us into the favour of God.

“Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children… Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates… For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord” (Proverbs 8:32–35).

James knew these truths well. Yet he was equally shaped by the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, many have observed that the Epistle of James is in many respects the practical outworking of the Sermon on the Mount.

Consider how our Lord begins that great sermon.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Who are the poor in spirit?

They are those who recognise their own spiritual poverty. They know they possess nothing in themselves that can commend them to God. They come empty-handed, acknowledging their need.

Is that not precisely where James begins?

“If any of you lack wisdom…”

The first step towards obtaining wisdom is admitting that we do not possess it.  The proud imagine they have all the answers.  The humble confess that they have none apart from God.

Our Lord concludes the Sermon on the Mount in exactly the same way.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Notice carefully that the wise man was not simply the man who heard Christ’s words.  He was the man who obeyed them.

That is biblical wisdom.

Knowledge is easier to acquire than wisdom. Knowledge is the bridesmaid to wisdom. It has its place and its purpose, but without the bride the bridesmaid has no place in the marriage. In the same way, knowledge without wisdom is incomplete. It may give us information, but it cannot give us transformation. The purpose of God’s truth is not merely that we know it, but that we live it. 

Wisdom governs the life, not merely the mind.  There are many who know the Scriptures and yet fail to live by the Scriptures.  James will have nothing to do with such empty profession. Throughout this epistle he teaches that genuine faith always expresses itself in practical obedience.  Wisdom is simply the application of God’s truth to everyday life.

Surely every one of us must confess today that we lack such wisdom.

The previous verse speaks of believers becoming “perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4). One of God’s chief means of bringing us to that maturity is by teaching us heavenly wisdom.

Asking for Wisdom

Having exposed our need, James immediately tells us what we are to do.

“Let him ask of God…” (James 1:5).

How gracious is this command!  God does not expose our deficiency merely to leave us discouraged. He reveals our need in order that He might supply it.  James simply says, “Ask.”

Yet even here there is something wonderfully instructive.

The New Testament employs more than one Greek word for asking.

One word, erōtaō, is frequently used when those of equal standing make requests of one another. It can describe one friend asking another, or one person addressing someone of similar position.

James, however, uses a different word—aiteō.

It describes one who comes in conscious need before another who possesses what he himself lacks.

It is the child asking his father.

It is the servant appealing to his master.

It is even the beggar stretching out an empty hand.

What a humbling picture!  Before God, every one of us is a spiritual beggar.  

We do not come offering our wisdom.  We come confessing our poverty. We do not approach God as equals making requests.  We come as needy sinners seeking grace.

Yet this is not intended to discourage us. Rather, it is the very attitude God delights to honour.

The Beatitudes begin with those who are poor in spirit because heaven’s riches are given to those who know their poverty.  The Christian who believes he has sufficient wisdom has little reason to pray.  The believer who knows his own weakness will continually seek the Lord.

How often our Saviour encouraged such praying.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

Our Lord was not encouraging empty repetition but persistent dependence. He illustrated this in His parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5–10). The man continued knocking because he knew his friend alone could meet his need.

Should we do any less?  Every fresh trial should drive us back to the throne of grace.  Every difficult decision should send us again to our knees.  Every burden should become another occasion for asking God to supply the wisdom we so desperately need.

The Old Testament provides a beautiful illustration of this truth in the construction of the Tabernacle.

God called Bezaleel and Aholiab and “filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 35:30–35).

Their ability was not merely natural talent.

Their wisdom was God’s gift.  The same was true of all the wise-hearted men whom God equipped for the work of the sanctuary (Exodus 36:1–2).

Surely there is a lesson for us.  The work of God has not become less dependent upon heavenly wisdom.  Whether we preach the gospel, teach a Sunday School class, lead our families, witness to our neighbours or quietly serve Christ in ways unseen by others, we require the wisdom that only God can give.

The Church does not merely need more gifted people.  She needs men and women who know their own weakness and who continually seek the wisdom that comes from above.

James has shown us our need.  In the next verses he turns our eyes to the glorious character of the God who delights to answer such prayers.

The God of Wisdom

Having shown us our need and commanded us to ask, James now encourages us by directing our attention to the character of the One to whom we pray.

“Let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

The emphasis now shifts from the poverty of the believer to the generosity of God.  What a glorious encouragement this is! We come as spiritual beggars, but we come to an infinitely rich Father. We come empty-handed, but we come to One whose resources can never be exhausted.

James says that God “giveth to all men liberally.  The word translated “liberally” conveys the thought of generosity, but it also carries the idea of sincerity or singleness of heart. God gives freely, wholeheartedly and without reservation. He is not reluctant to bless His people. He is not like earthly benefactors who sometimes give grudgingly or with ulterior motives. Our heavenly Father delights to give.

How beautifully this echoes the teaching of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).

Every Christian parent delights to provide what is good for their children. How much more does our perfect heavenly Father delight to provide what His children truly need?

Notice also what James says next.

God “upbraideth not.”

That is a precious expression.  The word means that God does not reproach, scold or find fault with those who come asking. He does not remind us how often we have failed. He does not say, “You should have learned this lesson by now.” He does not keep a record of every previous request.

How different God is from us!  We are often impatient with those who repeatedly ask for help. We become weary of answering the same questions. We sometimes remind people of their failures.

God never does.

Every time His children come in humble dependence, confessing their need and seeking His wisdom, He receives them graciously.

What encouragement this ought to give us in prayer!

How often we hesitate to come because we feel ashamed of our weakness. We have failed in the same area repeatedly. We have asked for help before. Yet James reminds us that our Father never tires of His children coming to Him.

Indeed, He delights in it. Wisdom is therefore a gift of grace.

It is not earned by experience.  It is not obtained by intellectual ability.

It is not the reward of superior spirituality.  It is God’s gracious gift to humble believers who seek Him.

The Apostle Paul prayed for this very blessing.

“For this cause we also… do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…” (Colossians 1:9–10).

Notice the purpose of wisdom. It is not merely that we might know more.

It is that we might live better. God fills His people with wisdom so that they might walk worthy of Him, bear fruit in every good work and increasingly reflect His character.  That reminds us of something very important.  God’s purpose is not simply to make us wiser.  His purpose is to make us more like Christ.  Every trial becomes another classroom in which our heavenly Father teaches us dependence, patience, humility and obedience.  In other words, He is conforming us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).  The wisdom we seek is therefore never an end in itself. It is one of God’s chief instruments in the work of sanctification.

The Prayer God Answers

James concludes this section with one of the most encouraging promises in Scripture.

“…and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

What a promise!  James does not merely say that God may answer.  He says that He will answer.This is not presumption. It is confidence in the faithfulness of God.The Lord never commands His people to seek something that He has no intention of giving.  If He commands us to ask for wisdom, He has already revealed His willingness to supply it.

Yet James immediately adds an important qualification.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:6).

Faith is not positive thinking.  Nor is it confidence in ourselves.  Faith rests upon the character of God and the certainty of His promises.  The believer who asks in faith believes that God is good, that God is wise and that God always does what is best.  Such faith refuses to measure God’s love by present circumstances.  It believes that behind every providence stands a wise and loving Father who never makes mistakes.  That is precisely the lesson James has been teaching from the beginning of the chapter.  Trials are not signs that God has abandoned us.  They are evidence that He is perfecting us.  When we ask for wisdom in faith, we are asking God to help us see our trials through His eyes rather than our own.

That brings us back once again to the Book of Proverbs.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

True wisdom always begins with God.  It begins when we humble ourselves before Him, submit to His Word and acknowledge that His ways are infinitely higher than ours.  Ultimately, however, the New Testament takes us one glorious step further.

Paul writes concerning Christ,

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

What an extraordinary statement!

Wisdom is not merely something Christ gives.  Wisdom is found in Christ Himself.

If we would grow in wisdom, we must grow in our knowledge of Him.

If we would understand the ways of God, we must look to the One who perfectly revealed the Father.

If we would know how to live, we must follow Him who is the Wisdom of God incarnate.

Paul makes the same point elsewhere when he tells us that Christ “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

The Christian life is therefore never merely about acquiring information.

It is about knowing Christ.  The more closely we walk with Him, the wiser we become.

The wiser we become, the more we resemble Him.  The more we resemble Him, the more patiently we endure the trials through which our heavenly Father is perfecting us.

James began this section by exposing our poverty.

“If any of you lack wisdom…”

Surely every believer must answer, “Lord, I do.”

He then directs us to the richest Person in the universe.

“Let him ask of God…”

What a gracious invitation!

We come as those who have nothing.

We come to One who possesses everything.

We come confessing our need.

We come believing His promise.

We come trusting His goodness.

And we come knowing that He delights to give.

A Personal Challenge

How often do we pray for wisdom?

We are quick to ask God to remove our trials.

We pray for healing, for deliverance, for open doors, for changed circumstances and for easier days.

Those are not wrong prayers.

Yet James teaches us to pray for something even greater.

He teaches us to ask for wisdom.

The wisdom to understand God’s purpose.

The wisdom to submit to God’s will.

The wisdom to honour Christ in every circumstance.

The wisdom to see beyond the trial to the hand of the God who has appointed it.

Perhaps that is why James places this exhortation immediately after speaking about trials.

God is not merely concerned with changing our circumstances.

He is concerned with changing us.

He is making His people mature.

He is conforming them to the likeness of His Son.

He is producing Christlike character.

Therefore, when trials come—and they surely will—let us not first ask, “Lord, remove this burden.”

Rather let us first pray,

“Lord, give me wisdom.”

For the God who appoints the trial is the same God who promises to supply the wisdom necessary to endure it.

And that wisdom will always lead us to Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

May God give us grace, not merely to know His truth, but to live it; not merely to admire wisdom, but to seek it daily; and not merely to endure our trials, but through them to become more like our blessed Saviour, to whom be all the glory.