The Only Wise God

James 1:5  

Everyone encounters situations in which they feel absolutely “skill-less”—and those situations do not feel good. Insecurity, worry, fear, doubt, and self-pity begin to gather ‘round like wolves circling a lone moose. Maybe it’s a financial crisis—you’ve gotten to the end of your money way before the end of your month. Maybe it’s a family crisis—you discover that someone you trusted is not who you thought they were. Or maybe it’s a friendship crisis—it was hard enough finding one person in this world to talk to, and now that person is gone. If it’s not one of those three, it will be a foreign crisis—something that you never dreamed would ever happen to you or someone you care about. An illness, an accident, a catastrophe of unimagined proportions. You park yourself in a chair by yourself and think, “I have no idea . . . how did this . . . what in the world am I supposed to do now?”

James, the half-brother of Jesus, knew what to do—but he had to learn it. Over a period of years, he made the transition from not even believing in his brother (John 7:5) to leading the assembly of those who did in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; Gal. 2:9). “When you are boxed in with no place to go,” James tells his readers, “you must ask God for wisdom.” His Jewish readers would have known exactly what he meant. For us, wisdom takes some explaining.

Westerners think wisdom is a cognitive attribute (and part of wisdom is), but it started out as a kinesthetic attribute—i.e., a motor skill. Wisdom was something you did, not something you thought or said. The word for wisdom (hokmah) was applied in the Old Testament to weavers, builders, navigators, warriors—people skilled in their craft. Therefore, wisdom in life is the skill of living life successfully.

The next time you feel unsuccessful at life, ask God for success skills—the “only wise God” (Rom. 16:27; cf. Job 9:4) welcomes your request and will honor it. In fact, the one who was skilled at creating life is the best one to ask how it should be lived.

God’s Promise to You: “Feeling unskilled is the first step toward receiving my wisdom.”

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