Ask God!

Posted : 20 Aug, 2014 06:52 AM

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

� James 1:5



One of the first things that we ask when the bottom drops out, when trials come our way (and there can be so many ways they manifest themselves) is, "Why, Lord? Why are You allowing this to happen? What have I done to deserve such a fate?"



Maybe you have lost your job. Maybe you have suddenly become ill. Maybe you have lost a loved one. It has brought great anguish to you. It just goes on and on, and you wonder why. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Or, as another translation puts it, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking".



When you are going through these times of hardship, there is nothing wrong with saying, "Lord, what are You trying to teach me? Is there a lesson to be learned here? Because if there is, then I want to learn it. I want to get through this as quickly as possible. If this is going to go on for a while and there is nothing I can do to change that, fine. But if there is something I need to learn that will cause this to come to an end, then tell me now, Lord."



It's important for us to know that God does have lessons He wants us to learn in times of trial. And many times, it is simply to see whether we have learned the material.



The life of Job is proof that man usually has no idea what God is doing behind the scenes in the life of each believer. All humans ask the question �Why do bad things happen to good people?� It is the age-old question, and difficult to answer, but believers know that God is always in control, and, no matter what happens, there are no coincidences�nothing happens by chance. Job was a believer; he knew that God was on the throne and in total control, though he had no way of knowing why so many terrible tragedies were occurring in his life.



Job never lost his faith in God, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. It�s hard to imagine losing everything we own in one day�property, possessions, and even children. Most men would sink into depression and even become suicidal after such a nightmare; however, Job never wavered in his understanding that God was still in control. Job�s three friends, on the other hand, instead of comforting him, gave him bad advice and even accused him of committing sins so grievous that God was punishing him with misery. Job knew God well enough to know that He did not work that way; in fact, he had such an intimate, personal relationship with Him that he was able to say, �Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face� (Job 13:15).



Job�s plight, from the death of his children and loss of his property to the physical torment he endured, plus the harangue of his so-called friends, never caused his faith to waver. He knew who his Redeemer was, he knew that He was a living Savior/JESUS, and he knew that someday He would physically stand on the earth (Job 19:25). He understood that man�s days are ordained (numbered) and they cannot be changed (Job 14:5).



Perhaps the greatest lesson we learn from the book of Job is that God does not have to answer to anyone for what He does or does not do. Job�s experience teaches us that we may never know the specific reason for suffering, but we must trust in our sovereign, holy, righteous God. His ways are perfect :angel:(Psalm 18:30).



Since God�s ways are perfect, we can trust that whatever He does�and whatever He allows�is also perfect. We can�t expect to understand God�s mind perfectly, as He reminds us, �For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts� (Isaiah 55:8�9).



Our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. When we do, we will find God in the midst of our trials�possibly even because of our trials. We will see more clearly the magnificence of our God, and we will say, with Job, �My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you� (Job 42:5).



Yes, my ears had heard of you, my God Jesus, and soon my eyes will SEE You! Amen.

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