“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: A man that must receive from God always must be settled about God’s consistent character of giving.
The words of James in his epistles have this to say in chapter 5; “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. 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” (James 5:14-16). 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; thus, the faith in praying has to do with receiving which is dependent on the part of the one asking and not the one giving (God). In prayer, faith is not required in asking but in receiving. That is, faith is not needed to get to God. We see that James 1:5 does not mention faith. “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” (James 1:5).
If God is going to give, he is not looking for a condition for why he should give. He gives to all men liberally. Hence, God gives because of his character; there are no qualifications. All it takes is the mouth – to make a request. James says he that asks should not waver. So faith is the receiver, not the “asker” in prayer. The prayer of faith receives from what God has made available; it receives from what God has supplied. The Father does not give based on conditions. There are not certain groups of people qualified for God’s giving and another who are disqualified. Giving is God’s character – it is who God is. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Know your father well; He is a giving God.
CONFESSION: I am not in doubt of God’s character. He is a giving God who gives liberally without fault-finding, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUOTE: When you are in doubt of God’s character, it becomes difficult to receive from God.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: JOHN CHAPTER 5; EVENING: JOHN CHAPTER 6
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 