Wisdom- A Life Preserver

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

True confessions.  Sometimes, when we are confronted by the hard stuff of life, we might doubt our faith.  We might have questions that remain, for the time, unanswered.  We might feel alone and confused.  Be honest.  It’s happened, even to the most seasoned believers.

So when our sons and daughters begin to face those hard things, will they stand firm or will they be overcome by waves of doubt and confusion?

If you’ve ever been swimming in the ocean, you know it’s glorious and vast and the waves are beautiful.  The gentle rolling of the ocean is almost mesmerizing as you float along.  You can’t help but relax.  

All is well and good until a breeze kicks up and a storm begins to roll in.  Those waves you were so enjoying moments before begin to rock and toss your float and your easy calm turns into a nervous feeling and quickly moves toward nervous panic.  You begin to paddle and kick your way back to the shore, but the currents work against you because the enormity of the ocean is not matched by your singular strength.  That raft you were so in control of is falling victim to the mighty ocean.  It’s frightening and you are at the mercy. 

Life is like that ocean, isn’t it?  Sometimes it’s so enjoyable and other times, well, we can barely keep our heads above water.  Wisdom for life is what is desperately needed to weather the storms.  Yet, often, our first go-to when we need wisdom isn’t the Lord.  We look to friends, family, self-help books and websites that offer a wealth of knowledge.  There isn’t anything wrong with these things, but our first call needs to be to the Lord.  He is the Source of all wisdom and He is the One who generously grants it when we ask.

As we grow older, we quickly realize we don’t know everything.  And, although we’ve spent a lifetime learning, our age and experience confronts us daily with just how little we know in light of eternity and our vast universe.  It’s humbling.  It drives us to our knees, praying for wisdom and humbly asking the Lord to help us in spite of ourselves.  

But when we were younger, we thought we knew a lot….and it’s likely that’s just where our sons and daughters are right now.  Here’s the thing, intelligence is not the same as wisdom.  Someone can be very smart….and very unwise.  Everyone is born with intelligence that is expanded through learning. But, wisdom, ah, wisdom is gained through living.  Unless one lives and learns, they will not gain wisdom.  And unless one reaches out to the Lord, well, their allotment of wisdom will be on the short end of the stick.

It’s likely our sons and daughters do know a lot, or at least they think they do… but they don’t know what they don’t know.  And they don’t realize yet because they haven’t been confronted with all of the ‘hard’ stuff.  Do they know they lack wisdom?  Are they willing to admit it?

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.”  Major prayer point #1- pray that our sons and daughters would fear the Lord.  And prayer point #2- that they would follow His precepts and have good understanding.

Today, simply take time to pray for your sons and daughters faith.  Pray that they grow in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, so that when the storms come, and they will, that our sons and daughters will stand firm.  

Pray that they won’t be overcome by the currents, trying to make it to shore on their own, but that they would anchor strongly into the Lord.  Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,”

Pray that they are confident in their faith and they don’t doubt.  But if they do, that a stronger believer would come alongside them to disciple and encourage them.  

Lift your son or daughter today with confidence that the Lord hears and answers!

Pray without ceasing.