Daily Bread

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Wisdom, at least to me, means being able to discern the right course of action in any given situation or context. We can weigh up the pros and cons of any situation, but we cannot see the whole picture, and this is where divine wisdom comes in. What would it be like to be able to tap into God's divine wisdom when we are faced with a junction in life and know not which way to turn?

Did you know that in the Old Testament, wisdom is sometimes referred to with feminine pronouns, as a 'she', and the word for Spirit, the breath or wind of God is also spoken of in the feminine. The two are often synonymous, therefore, it should come as no surprise that there are echoes in this passage with words spoken by Jesus, "Ask, and it will be given unto you," and Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit.

James expands on the words of Jesus, imploring us to ask, not in a half-hearted way, but expecting to receive because the Spirit is given generously and ungrudgingly to all who ask. To ask expecting to receive means we do so because the Spirit is something we really want. If we are not sure if we want the Spirit or are in two minds about receiving the Spirit, well, the Spirit will most likely not intrude, for the Spirit does not go where the Spirit is unwelcome.

Therefore we must ask in confidence, and God will give us the Spirit of wisdom we so desperately need — a divinely inspired wisdom — that we might know what decision to make or path to take.

Holy God
Please give to me your Holy Spirit,
that I might be imbued with divine wisdom,
and know your will and purpose for my life.
When faced with difficult situations and circumstances,
and know not which way to turn,
help me make wise and godly decisions.
For the sake of your son,
my Saviour, Jesus Christ.