In his Epistle, James’ (the Lord’s half-brother) admonished his readers to “count it all joy” when they encounter trials and difficulties. He understood these trying times fall to all of us from a loving heavenly Father whose purpose is to use them to produce the image of His Son in each of us. Hence, we can indeed count it all joy!
That being said, he invites his audience to look to God for guidance in those trying times particularly and in any time in general. James writes “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” (James 1:5). Often during hard and difficult times we do not know what to do. James invites us to ask God who is the source of all wisdom. What could be simpler!
Our Father who ordained and designed our circumstances for his glory knows the path that we should take. The Scriptures tell us that he gives “liberally,” that is, generously in response. Neither does he upbraid us or reproach us for asking. In essence, he does not say to us “You fool – why don’t you know?” The tender kindness and loving favor of our heavenly Father is evident in his response to us. He is not inclined to hide his will from us when it comes to our walk before him. Rather, He delights to show us the way.
Yet, there is an added admonition that must be embraced when seeking to know the Father’s leading – we must be committed to following it! James adds “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-9). We do not ask an all-wise God for his guidance only to list it with all of our other “options.” We must trust him who is worthy of our trust for he sees the way we must go.
God knows the heart and if we are not earnest in our desire to please him, we shall receive nothing from him. Further, our lives will reflect the instability that comes from resisting and rejecting wisdom from on high. That is why James instructs his readers to “ask in faith…(for) without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
An old hymn of the faith has captured the very essence of this invitational truth – “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Look to him for wisdom; trust him for guidance; obey his leading.
From the Chaplain 