Just Ask
What wisdom do you need to ask for from God?
Verse of the Day
‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.’
Today’s Devotional
I love this verse. I love the beauty and simplicity of needing something, asking God, and the generous and non-rebuking nature of God as we come to Him.
But…there is a reality of faith that must be discussed. This beautiful verse comes right after telling us that we should rejoice when we experience trials in this life. We are told to rejoice because difficulties have the opportunity to develop endurance in us. The reality of faith is that things will be difficult at certain times in our lives. I’m sure every one of us can attest to the truth that life can be hard.
So, when things are difficult, and we do not know how to proceed, we are told to ask God for wisdom. And even in doing this, it often takes time for the answers from God to come. Asking God for His wisdom and the deliverance of that wisdom is rarely a speedy process.
Many times in my life, I have asked God for wisdom. But if I am really honest, sometimes I am actually asking God to fix a broken situation. What I really need, however, is for God to teach me how to handle the situation with His help in spite of MY brokenness.
My prayer over the last few days has been that I will wait well. That in the time between my asking God for wisdom and when the answers come, that I will hold unswervingly to my trust in the goodness of God and His timing.
If God is generous and does not scold us for asking Him for wisdom, we can also assume that He is kind. In fact, we know this to be true because kindness is listed among the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, however long it takes for God to answer our requests, we can assume there is kindness in His timing. I firmly believe that there is so much going in the spiritual realm that we cannot see or even fathom.
Here’s what I am telling myself today, as I am in a place of waiting on God.
- Ask for His wisdom. Be specific.
- Thank God for the invitation to ask for help.
- Thank God for His generosity.
- Ask that I will be teachable, no matter the answers that come.
- Ask that God help me to wait well.
- Ask for endurance.
- Praise God for His sovereignty in my life and in the world.
- Choose to look for God’s kindness and be grateful when I see it.
- Ask for, as I am waiting, little reminders of God’s love.
The above list is not a prescription to be followed to the letter. These are just the reminders I needed to tell myself today. May we be people who diligently seek God’s wisdom. May we ask often for the wisdom of God.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you consider yourself to be high on the scale of spiritual endurance? Why or why not?
Looking back, when have you asked God for wisdom and how did He answer?
How has God shown you kindness recently?
Do you need wisdom about something? Ask God. Write it down. When you see the answers your faith and trust will grow.