Would you like to pray a prayer that you know for SURE will be answered? (That is, of course, if you don't resist and reject the answer God has promised to give you.) Here's the one He has promised to answer with a YES: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all people liberally, and does not upbraid; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).
Note what's involved: (1) You must realize that you "lack wisdom" (that immediately knocks some people out; they are satisfied with what they think they have). (2) Praying for wisdom is the right thing to do. (3) In response, God gives every human that gift, with no stipulation other than "asking in faith." In other words, you don't bring any merit with your prayer; unworthy people are invited. (4) Don't be afraid that God will "upbraid" you, crush you with humiliation and fault-finding. He wants to build you up, not tear you down.
Psalm 25 is a perfectly worded prayer for wisdom (James may have had it in mind). No less than seven times David asks for it: "Teach me Your paths" (vs. 4). "Teach me" (5). You "teach sinners" (that's Good News, isn't it?, vs. 8). You "guide the meek in judgment" (9). "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth" (10), even through disappointments. If someone reverences the Lord, He will "teach [him] in the way that He shall choose" (12). He teaches you "the secret of the Lord" (14).
Jesus agrees. If you ask the dear Lord to give you a piece of bread, He does not put a stone on your plate (Matt. 7:7-11). He doesn't tease you, ridicule you. (But you can be sure that Satan will tempt you to think that God has double- crossed you.)
Then why do so many people who ask God to "teach" them and ask Him for "bread," end up in disagreement as to what God's wisdom is? Often they oppose each other.
It's a call to humility, to pray again, to re-study God's word. Psalm 25 leads to Psalm 40 where you "wait patiently for the Lord" until He "sets [your] feet upon a rock, and establishes [your] goings." Hang on, by faith.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 28, 2001.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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