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 or Common Sense?
When we read the Message version of the Bible we hardly recognize the message. Sometimes, however, it speaks to us more clearly than another version. Which would suggest there is value in reading scripture across versions to see which opens God’s Word in your mind.
The passage from the Book of James is the King James version and the subject is right up there in the first sentence: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom…’ While in the Message version, 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, believingly, without a second thought.’ A statement that parallels King James version, ‘Let him ask in faith, with no doubting’.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter which version we prefer, it is His Word we are to meditate on day and night. The subject of the passage is wisdom and its related cousin, common sense.
Joyce Meyers tells us, “surprisingly, many sophisticated and intelligent people lack wisdom and common sense.” She goes on to explain that wisdom and common sense, while closely related, wisdom is a gift from God, while common sense is the way we mortals apply God’s gift.
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. Myers calls wisdom supernatural, something that is not manmade, but God given.
I can’t help but think that in today’s world, truth is hidden by bluster and human, often political, interpretation, while 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.
When we are confronted with two sets of “facts”. Two completely different versions of a problem and two different solutions. It boils down to, who do we trust? What are the ‘true facts?’ Weird thinking, huh? The truth is, when we are confronted with two versions and we know that one of them is true, and we trust the teller of that version, it’s hard for us to begin to accept that what we believe is wrong, despite evidence to the contrary. For some, it is not just hard, it’s impossible.
So, we turn to the Word, and it doesn’t matter which version: ‘If you don’t know what to do, if you don’t know who to trust, pray to the Father.’ Remember, ‘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 may say, stick to your guns. I can just imagine God watching all this, maybe shaking His head, and favoring us with a rueful smile. We rather imagine God telling us, “I got this. You, chill.”
Meyers tells us, “You do the seeking and He does the speaking, but He is the Spirit of Wisdom and will not tell you to do things that are unwise.” Amen?
Note:
Watchwords are back on schedule!
Bulletin Board:
Trivia — How many words in the Gettysburg address? 266. How many words in the Ten Commandments? 173. 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:
Loving God, your desire is for our wholeness and well-being. We hold in tenderness and prayer the collective suffering of our world at this time. We grieve precious lives lost and vulnerable lives threatened. We ache for our loved ones; neighbors, family, ourselves, standing before an uncertain future.
We pray: May love, not fear, go viral. Inspire our leaders to discern and choose wisely, aligned with the common good. Call us to profound trust in your faithful presence, You, the God who does not abandon, we lay all this at your feet, and pray in Your Name that Your Will be Done. Amen.
