“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. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways”. – James 1:5-8
LIGHT FOR NOW: God’s character is not dual or bipolar; it does not vary with time, but it is consistently constantly constant.
James, in chapter 5 of his epistle, echoes this in James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. He mentions that the prayer of a righteous man makes power available. Who is a righteous man? Recall James’ admonition from chapter 1; “…if any of you lack wisdom…” (verse 5). “…to the twelve tribes…” (verse 1). He was addressing Jewish Christians primarily and, by implication, the church. Hence, the believer is the righteous man. The believer has been made righteous by his identification with Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]”. The believer has been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Hence, the righteous man can pray without fault or doubts. Don’t lose sight of the fact that James, in our key text above (James 1:5-8), is talking about the character of God;
• He does not upbraid
• He gives liberally
That implies that the focus of the one asking in prayer should be on the character of God. James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. Notice in the context of James 5, he also spoke about the prayer of faith. James 5:14-15 “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him”. The prayer of faith was to explain believers praying for one another. This further helps to see that when we ask, it is in God’s character to be consistent in giving. Glory
INSTRUCTION: Be settled in your mind about God’s character.
CONFESSION: The Father does not give based on conditions. He gives to all men freely. There are no qualifications to asking, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUOTE: God’s character is consistent and constant in all instances.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 2CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 5; EVENING: JAMES CHAPTER 1
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 