“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”
As perseverance comes from a trial (vv. 3-4), wisdom [the ability to cope with deep difficulties] comes from prayer.
If any of you lacks wisdom,
James assumes that his readers lack wisdom. If a Christian does not possess “wisdom,” God will give it to him. The word “lacks” is a banking term for falling short in one’s account. Testing always requires special wisdom to cope with trials beyond our ability to manage. Trials should improve our prayer life.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Principle:
A person with wisdom can make solid decisions.
Application:
A believer with “wisdom” has biblical common sense. He knows how to use his biblical knowledge. He knows how to apply the Word to experience.
“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
Wisdom is the correct use of knowledge. It is the ability to exercise the discernment and judgment of God’s Word. We might possess great knowledge of the Bible but not know how to live it out.
If we do not know how to apply the Word to our experience, we lack wisdom. This is especially true in a trial. A person might be highly educated but devoid of wisdom. Conversely, it is possible to possess wisdom without a great amount of academic training. It is possible to have an educated imprudence. On the other hand, we cannot utilize God’s wisdom without knowledge of God’s Word.
I praise the Lord for allowing me discover this website!
I discovered this website after searching a previous website on wisdom and understanding. The commentary has clarified what the Lord wanted me to understand. What a mighty God we serve!
Thanks Rick for your comments.
How to pray for wisdom to understand the bible?(James 1:5).
Please give me a sample prayer for open and closing bible study session.
Blessing
Dear Dr Richson
I am sudying the book of James and I find your commentary and study guide a tremendous help in my studies. It really is a wonderful work and I am consulting this regularly.
I just wanted to check on the meaning of verse 5: does James mean we need wisdom to deal with trials or could he also mean that we need wisdom to achieve the "completeness" and "perfection" (maturity) in verse 4. In other words is verse 5 the link for verse 4 or is is to do with the trials and testing in verses 2-3.
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks again for making your commentaries and materials available.
John
John, thank you for the blessing.
The immediate juxiaposition of verse 4 appears to be the primary link to verse 5. Every believer "lacks" what would make him mature in faith. This is because the Christian does not know how to perservere with a mature approach. Divine orientation is needed for this. We receive that orientation by faith in the Word (later in the chapter).
I’m prepairing for a bible study with my fellow youths.The moment i read through your comment,it is like the more i became wise.Thank you for spending your time ,writing this information.I believe that it has opened many people’s minds including myself.May the good Lord richly Bless you.
Good insight
pls can someone pls go straight to the point and give a brief or little words explanation of James 1:5
Chukwuka, did you continue the study by clicking on James 1:5b? Look on the right side of the study and click on it.