James 1:5 – “Dependent on God”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

⁵But if any of you is lacking wisdom, let him be asking from God, the One giving to all freely and not reproaching, and it will be given to him.

This verse could certainly stand completely on its own. On the other hand, it follows immediately upon vv.2-4, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing …” When we face all the many, many difficulties a day brings, we find ourselves not really knowing what we’ll do it, how it will all fall out, what it will mean. It’s painful. And it’s scary. From the previous verses, I try to remind myself, “I’m in training. The Lord knows all about this and it will be fine in the end. Just focus on being faithful through it and it will all work out.” Those are comforting thoughts but they leave me still asking, “Yeah, but what should I do?”

That is precisely where v5 comes in: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God …”

The “if” is almost amusing, yes? The only “if” is whether we realize we lack wisdom! And there’s nothing like hardship to make us feel deeply just how much we do in fact lack wisdom!

Here’s the thought that has stood out most to me: It’s good to be dependent on God. Human beings were never intended to be autonomous. We’re people and He’s God. He created us and we need Him. The most fulfilled human being would be someone who has learned to depend on God where we should, yes? In that sense, being brought again and again to places where I’m crying out to Him is not a bad thing – if I’m learning to depend on my God. It’s helping me be real. It’s helping me be mature and balanced. It’s helping me be the person I was created to be.

It’s a good thing. It’s good to realize I lack wisdom, then realize I can ask of God, and again and again and again see Him make good on His promise “… and it will be given him.”

It’s another twist on my “training” angle from vv. 2-4.

I found as I went in to work this week and immediately got clobbered with a number of very difficult situations, it was hard to keep in focus, “Oh, yeah, I’m in training, and that’s a good thing.” Then as I studied verse 5, it makes sense to me that part of the training is this learning to depend on God, even simply the depending itself – and that those really are good things.

I like it. I like being dependent on God. The endless troubles in a sense keep me depending on Him.

Hmmmm. So whether it’s hardships and troubles or just questions, uncertainties, confusions, fears, or whatever, “If any one lacks wisdom, let him ask of God …” At that point we’re depending on Him and … that’s a good thing.