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God Wants to Give You Wisdom
January 01, 2020
“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.”
James 1:5-6
Are you going through a rough time right now? You’re not alone! People all over the world are feeling the effects of the pandemic, and it’s taken a toll on our mental, physical, and emotional health. There are many uncertainties and questions about how to move on with our lives in this ongoing crisis. Everybody’s struggling.
The Bible tells us exactly what we should do when we don’t know what to do and we’re feeling the pressure to do the right thing.
“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm” (James 1:5-6).
God isn't holding back wisdom. He gives wisdom to anybody who asks for it.
Have you asked God to give you wisdom on how to handle the pandemic? Have you asked him for wisdom on what to do about your job, your future, your kids, your health, or whatever you're struggling with? God gives wisdom to anybody who asks for it.
King Solomon, one of the richest and most successful men who ever lived, had everything he needed and everything you could possibly want in life. But he still asked God for wisdom. He knew that riches and power and comfort meant nothing if he couldn’t make wise decisions. He wanted to honor God—who gave him everything he had—and so he asked for wisdom to know what to do and how to do it.
Wisdom helps you learn from any trouble you’re experiencing. It helps you to know what to do and how to move forward in a way that pleases God. He uses every challenge to develop you, not defeat you.
It may seem like the world is spinning out of control and circumstances keep changing day-by-day. Your stress, your fear, and your worry may be at an all-time high.
But now more than ever is the time to ask “what,” instead of “why.”
Ask God what he wants you to learn from this time of crisis and what he wants you to do. He has promised to give you his wisdom in generous portions.
Talk About It to the family this month
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What is problematic about relying on your own wisdom in times of trouble? How does it limit you?
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In what way does God expect you to ask for wisdom? Why is this approach so important?
What do you need God’s wisdom for today? Take time to ask him for wisdom in the specific areas you are struggling with. Then, spend time in God’s Word so that he can reveal his wisdom to you.
Does GOD Hear all Prayers?
January 01, 2020
God communicates the thoughts and desires of His mind (that is, His will) to you and me through His word, the Bible. The way that we, as humans, communicate or speak the message of our mind to God is through what the Bible calls prayer. In both the Old Testament, as well as the New, we often read about prayer. The truth is, it is only through the teaching of the Bible that we can know the Lord’s will concerning prayer. Thus, for any question about prayer, we must turn to the word of God and see what it says. Doesn’t that make sense to you?
Does the God of heaven hear the prayers of humans? If you mean, “Does God know when people are praying to Him,” then the answer is “yes.” God knows all that is taking place on the earth at all times. He knows our every thought, every action, and every word spoken, including our prayers. How can we be sure about this? Because the Bible says, “God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things” (1 John 3:20). All the affairs of mankind are “naked and opened unto the eyes” of the Lord (Heb. 4:13). So, yes, God knows when humans are praying.
Does the God of heaven hear prayers that are offered to Him in different languages at the same time? Because He is the “Almighty God” (Gen. 17:1), there is nothing that is too hard for Him (Gen. 18:14). He understands all languages in which humans speak. And, yes, He can handle all the prayers that might be coming His way all at the same time, regardless of the language!
Should we conclude, though, that every prayer is acceptable to the Lord? To say that He can hear and understand when people speak to Him is one thing. To say that every prayer is acceptable to Him, well, that is another matter entirely. In Proverbs 28:9 it is written, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” This verse makes it clear that if a person refuses to heed or obey the message of God’s law, then he should not expect the Lord to receive his prayer. Why? Because God counts it as an abomination when men refuse to obey Him, and all the praying in the world cannot change that. Prayer cannot take the place of obedience. The Lord rejects the prayer or cry of a disobedient person.
What does the New Testament say? In 1 Peter 3:12 we read, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers....”According to this verse, which prayers does the Lord receive? The prayers of “the righteous.” A righteous person is one who does righteousness (1 John 3:7). Since all of God’s commands are righteousness (Psalm 119:172), then a righteous person is one who keeps the commandments of the Lord. The Lord promises to receive the prayers of such a person, but not the prayers of the unrighteousness.
One final consideration. What about praying for salvation? Never in the Bible do we read that the Lord or any of His inspired spokesmen told a person that had never been saved something like this: “To be saved from your past sins, you need to pray to God, and He will forgive you.” Such a notion is just not in the Bible! It is true that there are New Testament passages in which we read that people were told to pray in order to receive forgiveness, but when we closely examine the contexts of those verses, what do we find? They were addressed or spoken to those who were already Christians and had committed sin after being saved. Thus, as Christians or children of God, in order to get back into the right relationship with God, what they needed to do was pray. Simon, who had already believed and been baptized, was told to pray for forgiveness (Acts 8:13,21-23). We also read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Again, however, this was not spoken to non-Christians, but to those that were already God’s children (compare 1 John 2:12).
Does God want men to pray? The Bible says He does. But does He accept all prayers? Not according to the Bible. Let us all search the Scriptures and accept the instruction that we find therein.
