Asking for Wisdom

A verse that often comes to mind is James 1:5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." When was the last time you asked for wisdom? I have been to a great many prayer meetings over the years, but I don't recall hearing many prayers for wisdom. Either church folk are content to be stupid, or else they assume that they are wise.

The interesting thing is that no strings are attached to praying for wisdom. We are simply to pray in faith. At the same time, we are told how important wisdom is: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom" (Prov. 4:7). We are also told that wisdom is a blessing (Prov. 3:13); it is better than rubies and everything else (Prov. 8:11); it is the foundation of the good life (Prov. 24:3), and so on and on. Very obviously, God regards wisdom as necessary to the good life, and also promises to give it to all who ask for it.

We must love stupidity greatly, because we do not seek wisdom, as individuals or a nation. Neither church members nor church boards pray for it, and neither do senates, legislators, or judges.

As a people, we stress learning and spend billions of dollars promoting it, but learning means the accumulation of data, of facts, not of wisdom. Our world is full of learned fools who lack wisdom.

One of our worst forms of folly is to assume that it is other people who need wisdom, not us! Our Lord does not ask us to pray that our friends become wise, but that we do. How are you praying?

By R. J. Rushdoony. Taken from A Word in Season: Daily Messages on the Faith for All of Life, Vol. IV, p. 56.