WATCHWORD:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 King James
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. James 1:5-8 Message
Meditation:
Wisdom?
Sometimes when we read the Message version of the Bible we hardly recognize the…well, message. Sometimes, however, it speaks to us more clearly than, say, King James, even though it is James!
In King James, the subject of these verses is right there in the first sentence: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom…’ Wisdom. In the Message, the subject is implied, ‘If you don’t know what you are doing…’ Yet, to me, the instruction in the Message is more straight forward on how to proceed, ‘Ask boldly (of God), believingly, without a second thought.’ In other words (King James), do not doubt.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter which version we prefer, it is His Word we are to meditate on each moment of our lives. So, the subject of the passage is wisdom with its related cousin, common sense, implied. Wisdom is spirit-given. Common sense is our choice as we apply wisdom
Joyce Meyers tells us, “surprisingly, many sophisticated and intelligent people lack wisdom and common sense.” I wonder if that applies to so much of the noise we hear coming from politicians.
I guess another way of looking at it might be that wisdom allows us to find the truth in any given situation, while common sense provides the basis for sound decision-making, or judgment. I believe wisdom is supernatural, not manmade, but God given.
I can’t help but think that in today’s world, truth is hidden by bluster, relegating common sense to a rare commodity. We live in a dangerous world, starved for facts because we are faced with real issues, real threats and we need real answers.
In the face of all the confusion surrounding us, we turn to the Word, and it doesn’t matter which version: ‘If you don’t know what to do, pray to the Father.’ Or, ‘If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.’
I know, that sounds just a little bit like God telling us to have patience. I am sure that you have noticed that “have patience” is code for “Trust God, or “Wait on the Lord”. So, wisdom says “patience”, while common sense says, don’t risk, make decisions that keep you and your family safe. Imagine God telling us, “I got this. You, chill.”
You do the seeking and the praying, you do the listening for He does the speaking, for He is the Spirit of Wisdom and will not tell you to do things that are unwise.” Amen.
Bulletin Board:
To repeat myself: Pastor Allen Jackson was asked what is the best version of the Bible for study. His answer was, “The best version of the Bible is the one you will read. The version is secondary.”
Trivia: How many words in the Gettysburg address? 266. How many words in the Ten Commandments? 173. How many words in Obadiah, the shortest book of the Bible? 431. Trivia to use in those very rare occasions when the conversation lags.
Funny to think about: Hear about the new restaurant called Karma? There’s no menu: You get what you deserve.
Closing Prayer:
Grant us wisdom, Lord. We need it now! Oh, and a little patience would probably help. Thank you. Amen.
