March 13, 2020

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:5-6‬ ‭

How do we pray when we face a trial? Do we pray for peace? Strength? Grace? Deliverance? Certainly there is nothing wrong with praying for any of those things during a tough time. What about wisdom? Is that on the list of things we pray for during a trial? Today we come to our fourth and final word in our look at turning our trials into triumphs. In this chapter we are given 4 key words to help us with that count, know, let, and finally ask. Ask for what?

Verse 5 tells us exactly what to ask for, we should ask for wisdom. Why do we need wisdom when we face a trial? We need wisdom so that we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature, after all that is the goal and purpose of the trial. I heard a story of a lady facing a great trial, and a man informed her that he was praying for strength and healing. She responded “add one more thing to that list pray that I’ll have the wisdom not to waste all this” Wow, that’s convicting.

Not only did James describe what to ask for but also how to ask for it. Ask in faith. You see the word ask refers to our belief and trust in God. That God is in control, that God has a purpose, and realizing that I need the wisdom to not take this opportunity for granted, and let God accomplish what He wants. For each trial let’s take a moment to count, know, let, and ask.

We just might find that our trial is a victory in disguise.

Frank Newsome