Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary: James 1: 1-18

Text: If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you. (v. 5)

On a wall in my office there is a print given to me by my brother-in-law nearly ten years ago. It is entitled “Wise Angel” and on the back of the print he wrote, “To our family’s wise angel”. Of course it touched my heart and found a place on my wall.

Through years of leading bible studies and preparing sermons I have come to the realization that prayer, conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional, is at the center of life. And I have learned that there are five prayers which will always be answered. They are prayers for the Holy Spirit, for Courage, for God’s will, for Strength and for Wisdom.

The Epistle of James, which I call “Practical Christianity 101”, begins by encouraging us to pray for Wisdom. Wisdom is not the same thing as knowledge or I.Q. Wisdom looks below the surface of a situation. Wisdom is humble enough to know what we do not know. Wisdom is that sudden seemingly serendipitous insight that Solomon had in the story of the two mothers. (See I Kings 3: 16-28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+3%3A16-28&version=CEV)

I do not know who will read this Glimpse but I do know this; I pray that whoever reads it will be given the gift of Wisdom.

Lord God, of all the things that we could ask for You to bestow upon us, we ask for wise and discerning hearts. To Your glory forever and ever. Amen.