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Wisdom, Prayer and Faith (James 1:5)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to
all without finding fault, and it will be given him"
There is a wonderfully evocative verse in the Apocrypha that has probably
inspired James here:
"A fool's gift will profit you nothing, for he has many eyes instead of
one. He gives little and upbraids much... (Ecclesiasticus [or Sirach]
20:14-15a)
The word translated "generously" is "haplos" and is from a root
meaning single. It comes up again in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, "slaves,
be obedient...in singleness of heart" (Eph.6:5). The fool in Ecclesiasticus
"has many eyes instead of one", i.e. divided loyalties. God, according
to James, has an eye single to the need of the honest petitioner, giving
without reservation.
The fool is said to, "give little and upbraid much..." He reminds people
of their past failures and of their indebtedness to him. God, by contrast,
gives with an eye single to serving our best interests without reproach.
It is important to know this because the wisdom of which James speaks
is essential for every Christian. It is not simply the possession of knowledge
but the ability to make right decisions. We need to know that the God
we come to is generous, single in purpose and forgiving. God's unqualified
desire for our growth may be summed up in three words; simplicity, availability
and liberality.
The simplicity is the way of prayer. We need only ask and he hears us
and will prove ready to answer.
The availability is that of God himself. We don't have to search for a
friend, await the answer to a letter, email or text, or look for a mature
Christian to guide us. God is there for us all the time.
The liberality is in the fact that no one is excluded. He gives to all,
he gives generously, without reproach, and leaves the door open for us
to come back again and again.
This verse is full of assurance to the Christian who sincerely seeks to
grow in the things of God, live the life of faith and be involved in building
his kingdom. Perhaps we feel we ask too much too often; that we have squandered
his gifts in the past; that we are 'bargaining with God', trading our
future good conduct for answered prayer. But James assures us:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should
ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will
be given him"
Let's seek his wisdom this week, prove his generosity, give him praise
for his forgiveness and give thanks for his eye single to the good of
those who seek him.