February 17th - Exodus 1; James 1:1-18

Scripture: James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Observation: vs. 5 contains a type of Greek conditional that assumes that the people who are facing trials (in this instance) are lacking wisdom. They aren't needing a philosophical response so they can create a system to solve their problem. It is simpler than that. They need wisdom to see how to live right and avoid the paths of wickedness. In this context, wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of the trial and knowing how to meet them victoriously.

vs. 6 leads us to understand that there is nothing that prevents God from giving wisdom to his people, but there may be a barrier within that person that keeps them from seeing God's wisdom for themselves.

Application: The thing that comes to mind is the dark corners of my life where I need to pray for wisdom. Wisdom to bring them to light so I may move beyond the trials I cause myself. It's one of those things I suspect we all have, stupid things we do and even know better. Yet we find ourselves committing the same mistakes, the same sins. Some of it is learning new processes. Some of it is being accountable.

Prayer: Lord, I praise you that you are willing to grant me the wisdom to move beyond my trials in life. Shine your light brightly into my life. Give me your wisdom to see. Amen.