Colby Biberstein, member of St. Luke’s since 2012, member of the Cornerstone Sunday School class

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
5 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. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. 

Reflection: 

Is it difficult for you to ask for help? It sure is for me. Our society promotes so much independence and self-sufficiency that it can make it even harder for us to ask for help. And when I am facing a difficult decision or problem, I often seek dialogue and reach out to other people before seeking God’s wise counsel and wisdom. James 3:17 defines wisdom from heaven as “first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.” This wisdom sounds perfect, so why would I not seek that out first, always? Perhaps I think I can handle it on my own and it’s not worth bringing to God. Perhaps I am lacking in patience and am seeking immediate answers from others. Or perhaps I doubt that I will receive an answer, or it may not be the one I want.

God desires a deep and committed relationship with us and desires to know our innermost wants and fears. God actually knows them already, but there is something powerful when we can open up and be vulnerable about them to God in prayer. I experience a greater closeness with God and a sense of calm and peace when I can go to God in prayer about my worries. The Message version of today’s Scripture challenges us to “ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.” Scripture tells us that if we lack wisdom, God will give it to us generously—we just have to ask.

I once had a mentor teach me about the importance of being “pre-prayered.” Jesus teaches us this and models this for us in the New Testament. In Matthew, he teaches us to ask, seek, and knock as a way of developing persistence in our prayers. He demonstrates it for us in the Garden of Gethsemane when he is overwhelmed and prays that God’s will would be done. I encourage you to join me in continuing to develop persistence in prayer in asking for God’s wisdom each day, pure and sincere wisdom. God will give it to us generously.

Closing Prayer:
Wise and powerful God, you know my innermost thoughts. Help me to come to you first and often to seek your wisdom and guidance for all of life’s challenges. Teach me to be bold in prayer and trust your provisions for my life today and always. Amen.