James 1:5-8 James has told his fellow believers they need to be joyful when they encounter trials and problems because God is testing their faith.
If those people want to know the best way to handle their problems joyfully James says in vs 5 “That’s easy. Just ask God.” He says go to God in prayer. He won’t be upset with you. God wants us to come to Him. But James says He wants us to come to Him with absolute faith.
What does that mean? It means when we ask God for direction we have to accept the answer He gives us. We can’t disregard it if we don’t like the answer. And we can’t ask for help in decision making if we’re going to end up doing what we want to do anyway. We also can’t follow the advice of the world if it goes against what God’s word says.
Vs 7 says people who come to the Lord that way shouldn’t expect to receive anything from Him. So James’ directions are to take all of our questions and problems to the Lord but do so with a pure heart. Expect to get the answers from God and be committed to following the orders He gives us through the Holy Spirit. That’s how we’ll truly gain wisdom and make the best decisions.
