If You Lack It, Ask For It

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. — James 1:5 NASB

Something God has been really impressing upon my heart lately is Wisdom, and our deep need for His.

We appear to have more access to information than any generation before us, yet this access has not produced wisdom…at least not the kind I’m referring to…the heavenly kind. We can gather facts, study perspectives, and stay informed, but still lack clarity in how to live. All you have to do is look around to know that to be true. Information fills our mind, but it doesn’t necessarily form good judgment or guide godly decisions. Without seeking the counsel of God, we risk confusing worldly knowledge with heavenly wisdom, and they are not the same.

Scripture speaks directly into this tension.

In James 1:5, we are given a simple yet thought-provoking invitation: But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

What a relief that passage is to me! All I have to do is ask. We are not offered a reluctant offering from heaven, rather, an open-handed promise. No matter who you are, or your station in life, true wisdom is offered to all of God’s children. It’s not just reserved for the elite, the educated, or the spiritually seasoned. It is available to the humble, and the ones who recognize they do not have it all figured out. And again…all we have to do is ask.

But What Exactly Are We Asking For?

Job 28:28 defines it clearly, And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to turn away from evil is understanding.’

Wisdom is not merely insight or intelligence. It’s a life aligned under God’s authority. It is not just knowing what is right, but choosing it, and walking in it. We have to ask for Wisdom to walk in His ways.

And yet, wisdom is not silent.

In Proverbs 1:20–21, Wisdom is personified as “calling out in the streets, and raising her voice in the public square.” This is striking, because it means wisdom is not hidden. It is not buried in obscurity or locked behind complexity. It is calling, pursuing, inviting. It is calling people out of spiritual blindness and recognize (and have a healthy fear of) their Maker…their Savior. And so in a world filled with competing voices, the question is not whether wisdom is speaking, but whether we are willing to quiet ourselves enough to hear it.

Revelation Over Information

Like I said, we have access to more information than any generation before us. We can learn almost anything at any time. But information alone does not produce wisdom. In fact, it can create the illusion of it. If we are not careful or discerning, we begin to mistake that illusion and familiarity with truth.

Paul addresses this directly in 1 Corinthians 2:6–13. He makes it clear that the wisdom of God is not discovered through human intellect or persuasive arguments…but is revealed by the Spirit:

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written:

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the human heart, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

This Reframes Everything

Wisdom is not something we accumulate, it is something we receive…by the Holy Spirit. It only comes from above, from the Father, through His Son. And we have to receive the Son before we can receive His Spirit. So if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ yet, I encourage you to do so before you go any further. Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39).

So what does it look like to ask for wisdom today?

It means going to God before going elsewhere, taking James 1:5 seriously and asking Him directly. It means grounding decisions in the fear of the Lord, not just in what seems reasonable (Job 28:28). It means choosing to listen for His voice above the noise, since wisdom is already calling (Proverbs 1:20–21). And it means relying on the Spirit to discern what is true, not trusting our own understanding alone (1 Corinthians 2:12–13). Because wisdom from above is different. It doesn’t just inform your mind but is the anchor and rudder to navigate your life.

Today, the invitation still stands. Do you want the wisdom from above? If you lack it…ask for it.

God Bless You Today,

Carole