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Asking for...

             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. (James 1:5)

 

BibleGateway.com seems to be picking a lot of favorites recently, and my reaction to this one is a meltdown of begging and pleading, “Oh God, please, please, pretty please give me wisdom.” Of course, Solomon’s request for wisdom was related to his doing his job as king. My desire for wisdom might be said either to be for wisdom for wisdom’s sake, or so that others look at me in wonder at my great wisdom. Where there is a specific question, I may fuss, but at least I have the security of knowing God will work on it. When one seeks wisdom as – effectively – a figment of one’s imagination about an apparition, God seems to have enough wisdom of His own to make the lesson in wisdom He teaches about waiting and patience.

There’s another condition under which God seems reluctant to provide. If one says one wants wisdom, and God reveals that wisdom to you through Scripture, common sense, or some other means, and you turn away from it, perhaps even asking for some other answer, it’s not likely that He’s going to change His mind and come up with something more agreeable to you. If He tells you not to marry that guy or eat that cookie, He’s not likely to tell you to marry him or eat it the next time you ask – and if He does, you may have a difficult lesson to learn from it, as Balaam did.

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