"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 any thing of the Lord."
James 1:5-7
I like the idea of being able to ask God anything, and knowing that God will help us learn, and for the record I absolutely know that this works, as I have seen it happen often in my life.
I think the "nothing wavering" part is difficult though. We have so much to learn about faith and confidence in the Lord, and it is easy to be uncertain at times. And if we are uncertain, then we likely aren't focused enough to get an answer.
So, seemingly, we can end up in a situation where we don't know what to do, and we don't know whether God will help us out, and since we don't know, we still won't know. :) So, what's the answer to that spiral of uncertainty then? :)
I think that it is probably at least two things: the knowledge that God can help us even if our faith isn't rock solid, as when a father said to Christ "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.: (Mark 9:24), and the idea that God teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept" (2 Nephi 28:30). Indeed, God seems to match every effort we make as he expresses when he says "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you" (D&C 88:63).
Today, instead of being discouraged from asking by the thought that we're wavering, let's get some practice in. Let's keep asking for what we need, and then take the time to stop and evaluate from time to time whether it is working (and give thanks). That practice, and a heightened awareness of the blessings in our lives, will help us to acknowledge the help of God in our lives, and build up the faith and confidence that we need in our relationship with the Lord.
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 any thing of the Lord."
James 1:5-7
I like the idea of being able to ask God anything, and knowing that God will help us learn, and for the record I absolutely know that this works, as I have seen it happen often in my life.
I think the "nothing wavering" part is difficult though. We have so much to learn about faith and confidence in the Lord, and it is easy to be uncertain at times. And if we are uncertain, then we likely aren't focused enough to get an answer.
So, seemingly, we can end up in a situation where we don't know what to do, and we don't know whether God will help us out, and since we don't know, we still won't know. :) So, what's the answer to that spiral of uncertainty then? :)
I think that it is probably at least two things: the knowledge that God can help us even if our faith isn't rock solid, as when a father said to Christ "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.: (Mark 9:24), and the idea that God teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept" (2 Nephi 28:30). Indeed, God seems to match every effort we make as he expresses when he says "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you" (D&C 88:63).
Today, instead of being discouraged from asking by the thought that we're wavering, let's get some practice in. Let's keep asking for what we need, and then take the time to stop and evaluate from time to time whether it is working (and give thanks). That practice, and a heightened awareness of the blessings in our lives, will help us to acknowledge the help of God in our lives, and build up the faith and confidence that we need in our relationship with the Lord.
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