Text: James 1:5-8

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” —James 1:5

Various studies show that kids ask between 100-400 questions a day. Yet as we grow older, we stop asking questions. Why? Child psychologists point to neurological and cognitive factors alike, with curiosity playing a major role. As we grow older, we become less curious.

I’m in Korea, where my curiosity is currently linked to my survival. I speak zero Korean. Fortunately, I am with my two daughters who have studied some Korean, and that helps. But I have found myself asking early, and often, for directions and assistance when it comes to getting around. Sometimes I’m even a bit too zealous in asking strangers on the street for help that I think it makes my girls nervous. Yet simply asking has opened the door to a myriad of understanding that I would’ve never ascertained apart from the intentional ask (and I’ve met some new friends as a result!).

James wrote some great advice about the correlation between wisdom and asking, which sounds almost childishly simple: “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). Wisdom is that God-given and God-centered discernment regarding every practical issue in life. It’s compared to a “hidden treasure” sought out with desire and curiosity (Proverbs 2:4). It comes from God, “generously,” when we ask without wavering:

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6–8 ESV)

Asking “in faith” requires humility. It means laying aside the pride of assuming we already know the outcome. Humility comes more naturally in a foreign place than a familiar place. Imagine someone trying to teach you how to do something in which you are already skillfully trained (what is familiar to you)—there is more propensity for pride in that. Imagine someone trying to teach you something in which you have zero abilities (what is foreign to you)—there is more propensity for humility in that.

That’s why it’s more conducive to ask for help in a foreign place than it is in a familiar place. I would rarely stop to ask for directions back home in my familiar Tennessee, but in foreign Korea, I ask at any opportune time without hesitation. Wavering might cause me to miss an important bus, or get on the wrong train taking me well off course.

We shouldn’t stop asking God for wisdom as we get older, we should ask Him more with age as we become more acclimated and experienced with His granting. Sadly, too many Christians only ask God for wisdom and help in foreign places, such as a crisis or sudden trial. It makes me wonder how much wisdom we forfeit in our day-to-day living, because in the familiar we default to a stored accumulated knowledge that we assume is equivalent to wisdom and forget that wisdom is a living Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, Deuteronomy 34:9), personified in the embodiment of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30) who desires relationship with us in all the stuff of life.

Wisdom isn’t merely static knowledge in our brain. It is dynamic, active, and alive in the personhood of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom brings favor from the Lord (Proverbs 8:35). How much favor is forfeited when we fail to ask God for active wisdom with those business dealings, financial decisions, career or ministry goals, or academic paths? How much favor is left on the table in managing conflict in our relationships, surviving parenthood with difficult children, honoring difficult parents, or resolving tension in the church because these spaces are so familiar to us that we fail to ask God for His wisdom? We can’t afford to lose our curiosity in how God would guide us in all of these areas, especially if our desire is to see His glory revealed in these spaces.

What if we had hearts that were accustomed to asking God for wisdom in the familiar places just as much as in the foreign places? What if we asked… more? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you desire to grant your children wisdom in the everyday stuff of life. Wisdom serves both my good and your glory. Holy Spirit, convict me of those places where I have failed to ask for wisdom due to my familiarity. Teach me to be curious again with the familiar, to lean not upon my own understanding, but acknowledge your ways. Help me to ask for wisdom early and often, throughout the day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:

1. What kinds of questions did you often ask as a child? What were you curious about?
2. What makes us stop asking questions as we get older?
3. Why do you suppose this passage in James 1:5-8 seems so childishly simple? What does this passage reveal about God and how we should ask for wisdom?
4. In what familiar or routine areas have you stopped asking God for wisdom?
5. What can you do this week to be mindful about asking God for wisdom in the mundane and ordinary stuff of life?