Lacking Wisdom? Just Ask God

July 2nd, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 1:5-8 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. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

In the midst of enduring trials with joy, Christians are building endurance and patience. This ongoing experience that accompanies each trial is the avenue through which God molds His people into perfection (Jas. 1:2-4). But it takes wisdom to understand this, and even Christians are prone to question God’s goodness when bad things happen to them. James therefore tells his audience to simply ask for “wisdom” (Gr. sophia) in the midst of those times when they cannot understand why things happen as they do. The fact that he tells them to ask God to give them wisdom means that they do not inherently have wisdom. But what man lacks, God has. He is the source of all things, and all His people need do is ask Him to give them what only He can give.

God gives wisdom to those who ask “generously and without reproach.” “Generously” (Gr. haplōs) means “in a forthright, open manner.” Without “reproach” means to be without “insult.” So although one might feel unworthy to ask God for something, God regularly puts His people in situations where they have to come to Him for aid, seeking the Source of what they need to get through their trials. When we ask God for wisdom to understand our trials, He does not hesitate to not only grant it to us generously. He also does so without insult. In other words, God does not berate us by saying, “I’ll give you what you want, but you don’t deserve it!” As the NLT puts it, “Ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

Now since God will give wisdom to those who ask for it, then Christians should be regularly asking God for wisdom! It is one thing to pray for this and not feel worthy of God’s blessings, but it is another thing altogether to ask God for wisdom and doubt that He will give it. James sternly warns against this in vv. 6-8. Those who ask anything from God must do so boldly, truly believing that God can give what is asked of Him, specifically wisdom. Those who ask of God but doubt whether He will answer their request are likened to a boat on the waves of the sea. As the boat lacks steadiness, being tossed around with no control, so too is the person who asks of God while doubting His willingness to answer. If James said it the opposite way, he might have said, “Those who believe that God will grant the wisdom they ask for are like the man standing on a rock foundation, on firm footing, knowing for certain that the prayer they offered to God in faith for wisdom will be answered immediately in the midst of their trial.”

Those who doubt God are said to be “double-minded” (Gr. dipsuchos)—two-headed. They are hypocritical. With one head they ask of God, but since they doubt whether God will answer them, they also cover their bases by seeking help elsewhere—from the other head. These kinds of people are not believers, for they use God as insurance while seeking their own solutions. James says that these kinds of people ought not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They are “unstable” (Gr. akatastatos) in all they do—lacking any kind of stability or strength (7-8).

Food For Thought
God’s purpose for us is to glorify and enjoy Him for eternity. To do so, we must learn to trust Him. So, God gives us trials to mature us. He wants us to know that they are given by Him and that we can find joy in the midst of them. Like a weightlifter suffering under the weight of the barbell, whose muscles will grow after the pain, in the midst of our pain God has ordained that we seek Him for wisdom. He guarantees He’ll grant it. We just have to ask!