James 1: 5

Before there was scuba gear, there were pearl divers. These were special men with special abilities. From their youth they trained to dive deep into the sea. They could hold their breath for long periods. They would retrieve oysters from the bottom of the sea in search of pearls. Anyone can hope to own a pearl, but few can ever hope to be a pearl diver.

James is not telling us to ask God to help us be pearl divers. The ability to study the world we live in and discover probabilities and principals to live by is a special talent. It is a talent that most of us will never have.

If we are wise enough to recognize that we are not wise enough, God will not find fault with our need. Once we recognize our need for guidance, we need to clarify the area the guidance is needed. Wisdom about financial matters will not help if we need wisdom dealing with family matters. It is not shameful to ask for advice or guidance when faced with a trial or test. We do not have to learn from failure when we can learn from others.

The question is, “How does God give us wisdom?” Sometimes his Holy Spirit will guide us. Often God will use fellow Christians. We should all know Christians that we trust to advise us. These advisers should be mature in Christ, and wise in spiritual matters. Sometimes we will find the wisdom we seek in God’s word. As we grow older, it is amazing the amount of wisdom we find in the things our parents used to say.

Christians do not deliberately disobey God. However because they are ashamed to admit their need, they sometimes do not ask for help. Without that help, they make foolish mistakes. Foolish mistakes can be as deadly as deliberate wickedness. Ask God; He will give generously. When asked, God will give us pearls of wisdom. Do not let your pride cause you to be unwise.