Wednesday, January 27, 2021

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. —James 1:5

When I read today’s verse I was reminded of something that made news during the early stages of the pandemic. Actor John Krasinski put out a call on Twitter asking for people to send him stories over the past week that made them feel good or smile. A few days later he posted the first episode of his series, “Some Good News,” on YouTube.

The show was described in the following way: “his roughly 15-minute [show] included ways the world has celebrated the heroism of the health-care community fighting the coronavirus on the front lines, as well as the incredible ways that people have continued to connect—while staying six feet apart.” The first episode concluded with Krasinski saying, “no matter how tough life can get, there’s always good in the world.”

So what does this have to do with lacking wisdom?

Life will always have challenges. James encourages those who follow Jesus to remember that the end of the story has already been written. Without Jesus, one could look at the challenges of life as evidence of a God who is punitive, or worse yet a God who doesn’t care about us at all.

However, we do have faith in Jesus and that gives us access to a “heavenly wisdom.” Wisdom that reminds us that “no matter how tough life can get, there is always good in the world.” That because the end has already been written, we can face challenges as an opportunity for growth, and perhaps more importantly, we can trust that God is active even when it looks like God isn’t (like when one is living through a pandemic).

So then, may each of us turn to God today and asking for heavenly wisdom that will draw us closer to Him.