God Gives Wisdom Freely

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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 (ESV)

It was summer before my last year in college. My application as a summer missionary was accepted, and I was assigned to help churches in Northern California.

It’s easy for young people to believe they’re off to save the world. What I didn’t know was just how much God planned to teach me while I went to help others.

For two weeks of the summer, I was a counselor at a Christian camp near Mount Shasta. Mounds of snow piled high along the road to the camp even though it was July. And the stars at night were brighter than I’d ever seen as a city girl. It was a paradise in the natural world. But Father was about to teach me He had greater things than created beauty in store for me.

The Bible lessons planned for the young people at camp surprised me. They were from the book of Proverbs. If we had covered stories of Jesus or letters from the apostles, I would have understood. But Proverbs?

I was one of the leaders those two weeks, but I had no idea what we were discussing. Proverbs wasn’t a book I had studied, and it confused me.

Throughout the study, wisdom was presented as something valuable. Something worth having. My brain struggled to grasp the meaning of wisdom.

I returned home at the end of the summer, finished with my term as a summer missionary. But God hadn’t finished the lessons He had prepared for me.

In the short time left before Fall semester began, I found myself reading in the book of James. The fifth verse of the book grabbed my attention.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given Him.

There was wisdom again! Did God really want me to have this? I still didn’t understand wisdom, but God obviously thought it was important.

And so, one afternoon I walked outside and talked with God.

“God, I don’t know what wisdom is, but it must be important. You talk about it so much in Proverbs. And you tell me if I lack it, to ask and You’ll give it to me. So, I’m asking, Father. Will You please give me wisdom?”

Fifty years later, I remember that summer well. But I’ve learned wisdom isn’t a one-and-done offering. We need wisdom daily. The ability to walk righteously in this world, making decisions that please the Father, depends on God-given wisdom.

Thankfully, God never reprimands us for needing wisdom or asking Him for it. But He does tell us to ask. And when we do, He generously gives us the wisdom we need.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Why is it important to ask God for wisdom (Proverbs 4:7, 8:11)?

2. Can you think of a time when you felt the need for wisdom and asked God for it?

3. Why is it acceptable that I asked God for wisdom before understanding what wisdom is?