Any parent who has brought young children to the beach quickly learns one thing: that currents can be dangerous. A child playing in the water can look up and realize they are no longer where they thought they were but have drifted. A current can run parallel to the beach in one direction, then the following day run in the complete opposite direction. There can even be rip tides, which can quickly pull a swimmer out into deep water. Lifeguards regularly close beaches during dangerous conditions by flying a red flag, warning would-be swimmers from venturing into the water. The point here is that some things which look benign and harmless can soon become unpredictable and even dangerous if we do not approach them with caution...and wisdom.

James tells the reader that if you are lacking wisdom, you should ask God. Such a simple idea, yet so many people forget the power of simply asking God for what you desire. God’s word even tells us that in many cases, you have not because you ask not. We serve a God who gives generously and doesn't want you to lack in anything. However, as with many things God gives, there is a prerequisite. If you want something from God, you must believe and not doubt. The one who doubts doesn't receive from God because the truth is that they didn't expect to receive anything anyway. Also, they do not possess an accurate view of the Lord and they surely don't live with Holy Fear of him. The one with doubt and a lack of faith cannot possess wisdom, because fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. James describes a person lacking wisdom like a wave, being blown and tossed by the wind. In this case, the wind and waves are not literal, but symbolic of the seasons and circumstances of life which will be thrown at us. A wave of the sea is a fitting description of one hindered by unbelief and unnecessary doubts. A wave of the sea is without rest, and so is the doubter. A wave of the sea is unstable, and so is the doubter. A wave of the sea is driven by the winds, and so is the doubter. A wave of the sea is capable of great destruction, and so is the doubter. If there is no anchor, nothing to weigh us down or keep us grounded, we begin to drift in the waves. We compromise, become apathetic and move further away from the will of God, not accidentally towards it. When this happens, we should not expect to receive anything good. James explains that these types of people have become double-minded and unstable in all they do. They have become like a ship without an anchor, drifting on the currents of life, being taken where life and societal pressures will take us, without any sort of direction or destination.

Think about this idea within your own life and journey. Are you living on purpose and for a purpose? Or, are you simply drifting through life and moving only according to what happens to you? Do you lack wisdom? If you were to ask God for wisdom, do you think you would gain wisdom? Why or why not? In trials, we need wisdom a lot more than we need knowledge. Knowledge is raw information, but wisdom knows how to use that knowledge and experience. It has been said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, but wisdom is the ability to put things back together. Let wisdom, which comes from the Lord, be your anchor and compass in the storms of life.