Dear people, will you please open your Bibles to the book of James, chapter 1. I would like to read the first eight verses. James, chapter 1. James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. but he must ask in faith without any doubting for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind for that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from God being a double-minded man unstable in all his ways I picked up this mini-series a few weeks ago and the purpose was that we as your elders saw and experienced what the Lord was bringing the church through and real trials was going through in the lives of many of you here and we deemed it necessary to have some biblical understanding of the Christian and trials and so therefore turning to this particular text I believe and we believe that it is good to have your minds brought to the scriptures as far as trials and how we should carry ourselves in them. Now this morning will be the third sermon in this mini-series. We've had two thus far. The first one was the biblical teaching concerning the Christian and trials here from James chapter 1 and in verse 2 when it says, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. the second sermon was the biblical purpose for trials and we see that in 3 verse 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing This morning, I want to pick up the third sermon, which will be the biblical exhortation while in trials. And we find that what James does here, he gives an exhortation. And as you'll notice, there are a positive side to it and also a negative side. And so here we find in the last verses beginning from 5 on down to verse 8 we have the biblical exhortation as given while in trials. Now the exhortation first of all comes mightily to us and it comes with a powerful exhortation to the mind and heart of those who will be in trials. Notice in verse 5 how the writer starts it with us. He says in verse 5, and we must make sure we keep this connected to the other verses, and that is in verse 5, But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. here is we find an exhortation the exhortation is based upon what to do in the very midst of trials now James already told us that as we come to the trials of that it should be considered joy when we have various trials come our way and we saw what that meant or what he meant with that but then he also tell us there's a purpose for this because it works endurance in us it's a strengthening of our faith But now as we see the proof, the purpose for it, and the reason why we ought to actually have a sort of a gladdened heart, not being giddy over the situation, but gladdened and having joy in our hearts for what God is doing. But then he tells us now, how do you really do this? How do you really take the trials as you come through it? Now we can know, and each one of us will understand that it is not easy going through trials. And so what James is saying, he gives an exhortation to us what to do when we get in the midst of trials. And this is what he says in verse 5. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. So therefore, it comes, the first thing he has is that what we need to do, and you can see that plainly, and that is to pray. I hear sometimes, some people saying, well, all I can do is pray. Ain't no such thing as all I can do is pray. There's nothing better that you can do than pray. And so here's what James says, now in the midst of your trials, as you are there, he gives this exhortation while in trial. And that exhortation comes under this, pray for wisdom. And he starts it out this way as he brings the very words to us, but if any of you lacks wisdom. If any of you. Now the word if, the first thing we see here, sometimes we look at this word and we put the whole idea of doubt on it. If any of you lack wisdom, meaning some among you will have wisdom and others probably will not. The word is stating an assumption in this very use by James, meaning that all of us will need wisdom in our trials. We hear, James is not saying you may not have or lack wisdom. No, he's saying wisdom is assumed to be needed by each and every one of us when we go through trials. the word is used in the same way Paul uses it in 13 and 9 of the book of Romans you shall not commit adultery he says you shall not murder you should not steal you should not covet and if there is any other commandments it is summed up in this saying you shall love your neighbor as yourself now is Paul saying here does any other commandments if there is, as if there is a doubt that there are other commandments beyond these he mentioned, he knows that there are he's assuming that all of the rest of the commandments are going to be summed up in you shall love your neighbor as yourself and so James is saying the same thing here not that if you, if any of you lack wisdom we all will lack some stage or area or type of wisdom when we come into the trial And so he's saying here, what is the first thing to do? And that is that you have to first of all look at your situation and you are going to have this exhortation which is going to guide you on what to do. He says lack or lax, as he sees it rightly in, which means to fail or to have a deficiency or to be without. James says it in 2 and 15, if a brother or sister is without clothing, and in need of daily food. Without. Doesn't have it. So here's what he's saying. If you, in the midst of your trials, as you come to God in whatever you're going through, and you say, I don't know what to do right here. I don't know how to even pray for this particular thing. He's saying here, if you lack wisdom, if you're without, if there is a deficiency as you now have told going through this trial well what he says pray but what about wisdom And we know that's used in different ways. And the words as we find them in the scriptures are used in different ways. The word means to be skilled in the affairs of life. Practical wisdom, wise management, sound judgment is used for men. We could say men of the world have this kind of wisdom. But when it's used concerning divine things, it pertains to knowledge, insight, deep understanding, And this is given, in most cases, as a divine gift. It is God himself who gives this. It is the ability to order your relationship with God. See, many people think they have wisdom, but they don't have it. You can tell if they have the wisdom by the way they live and what things they're doing. Paul says in Ephesians 1 and 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation That is that here now, here is revelation, the word comes to you, the spirit of wisdom to even understand in the use of the word. Here in James 1, it is the skill to bear affliction. It connects to verse 3, lacking nothing. Go back again, notice in verse 3. Let's apply it to verse 2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And then verse 4, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing, not being deficient, and as you would grow. And so here is what he says, but if you lack wisdom, if you don't have it, if you're deficient, he's saying, here's what you must do. But the Apostle said, it is speaking of the deficiency in divine ability and skill to go through the trial to the glory of God in accordance with biblical principles. Now I think each and every one of us in here say, we need fresh wisdom every time. But then the Apostle says, not only if you lack it, But he says, what do you do? Let him ask of God. Well, ask is just basically, we know that's prayer. Serious and earnest prayer. We can connect that up to Jesus Christ. Come, ask, seek and knocking. And he says there, you do not turn loose, you come. You keep on. You be vigorous in your asking and your prayer. And that's the way you must come. and Paul and James says here, ask of God clearly states to whom our petitions must be made to and I don't think we need to go into much into these particular ideas here he is saying our prayer should go right to God it should be to him that we cry out to him and the wonderful thing about it is we know that it is the Lord himself who has brought the trial to us and so who is the one great enough or better enough to show us how to handle or go through the particular trial so here is the exhortation given to us first of all in the fact that there's something that we must do and that is that there is the prayer that must be given and that prayer is what we're going to do in order to deal with the trial but notice what James does here he actually sets the character of God right down in the midst of this he says it is because if you're going to God and because who God is that you're going to even find an answer to your prayer Notice what he says, and it goes on in verse 5. Let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. He stakes the claim upon God in who he is, with the prayer being answered. Now here's an exhortation that comes and says, if you need wisdom, go to God. And guess what? What will he do if you come asking him for wisdom in the midst of trials? Who gives to all generously and without reproach? And it will be given to you. When he speaks of the character of God here in this passage, he says, first of all, he points us to God's kindness. who gives to all men generously, who gives to all generously. God is the giver, and He gives to all who ask Him. Now, some will find in this, and they try to stretch the men to even those outside of grace. But not in the context. We can't do that. This only applies to those who are in the Christian faith. Those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and who have been saved by Him, and belong to Him. And so therefore we find that, here's what he's saying, and as you go through your trials as a Christian, and you go to God, the kindness of God is the very thing that is, we could say, is first of all tapped into when you pray. who gives. He is the one who gives. He is the one who opens his hand. You're crying to God for the need. You're crying to God for the special grace at a particular time. How are you and what are you to think about God? He gives. The prayer is not whether or not he may answer it. If you need wisdom to go through a trial, here James has said, don't even for one moment think that God is not the same kind God and the giver of those who come and seek him. He gives. That's what he says. Who gives? But notice what he says. What is, or how does he give? Does he count it out little by little? One for you, one for you? No. Who gives to all generously? The word used here comes from a root word that means single or simplicity or without duplicity. Romans 12 and 8. He who gives with liberality. Ephesians 6, 5. Sincerity of your heart. And so when it comes together, the one word has the idea of sincere, clear, without duplicity, bountifully, liberally. This is the only place that we find the word in this form in the New Testament, here in the book of James. God gives simply according to His heart. He is sincere in His giving to meet the need expressed in prayer. And He is not stingy. He gives the amount needed to handle the trial. Commentators even say, when you see God in the way James places Him right here, He even gives more than you need. His kindness is the first thing. that we see when you will come and go to God in prayer, you think upon Him and His kindness. But oh, we find even more is stated here. Notice what he says, who gives to all generously and without reproach. Without reproach. I call that His steadfast mercy. God doesn't move. God does not change. He changes because you or I may do this or that or we may not come the right way. That's not God. His steadfast mercy without reproach. Reproach here means to rail on. To attack with abusive words. We probably can get a good picture of this if we think in life and those who you're dealing with. Sometimes we've done it ourselves, or maybe we had it done to us. You go and ask somebody for a favor, and they do you a favor. You come back the next day, you ask for the favor. Well, wait a minute now. How often are you going to come to me asking me for this? I just gave you so-and-so yesterday. And haven't we ever said that to you? How many times are you going to come begging? How many times are you going to come with the same need? If we don't say it, sometimes we think it, don't we? Come on, man. Do something. Stand up on your own two feet. Why do you keep coming to me, you know? And then we get all these kinds of excuses why we aren't able to do something. And James goes in that, you know, oh, we'll pray for you. Be warmed and clothed. We'll pray. But here's the thing about God. God gives us simply according to his heart. He is sincere in his giving to meet the need expressed in prayer. And as I indicate, and he's not stingy. He doesn't say to you or I when we come, you know, you just prayed for this thing yesterday. And are you here bothering me again? Or, I just gave you so and so. No, God's heart is just so open to mercy. This fresh mercy. As the prophet said, it is renewed every morning. Fresh mercy comes to him. Great is his faithfulness. He does not change. He is not like man. He doesn't come up with some verbal abuse. in a way of spirituality that we got to do this or come to this or we should have here or there or other things before he gives. His steadfast mercy comes in that he gives generously without reproach. He doesn't have to take us through the hoops and make us come to the place where we are going to promise to do certain things in order, first of all, to receive the mercy. No, God is merciful. He shows his mercy in such a way. He's steadfast in his mercy. Here's what James says, and he gives vigorously and without reproach. He never changes from the kind of God he is. Kindness is in him and it's a part of him, especially to his sheep. And he does not because of a certain sin that we have committed or whatever. And in the time of need and through the trial, he's going to deal a little bit harder with us. Remember, James is talking here about trials. Trials which may come to us and mostly what we see here, these are the trials that God himself brings to us in order that we would become complete as he indicates here. Growing in grace and endurance is being worked in us. In other words, this is the way God takes us from one level to the next by allowing trials to be brought into us. And so, in the midst of those trials, This is what he wants. He wants you and I to come to the place where we are going to grow. And so how are we going to grow? We are going to plead to God for understanding, for wisdom in how to deal with the trial if this is going to be the very way God causes us to grow. So why would he be stingy? He got us to come and pray through the trial and now he's going to be exacting. That's not God. At least not the true and living God of the scriptures. That might be some men's God. But not God. And this is what the Apostle is telling us. Who gives to all generously and without reproach. And notice how he caps it off. And it will be given to him. He first of all looks to God and tell you about God and how He's going to do and then He tells you the thing that you're praying for will be given to you. And I call that His unchangeableness. He will never change. His character is that He is the same, always, yesterday, today, and forever. His mercy and love and kindness is who He is. He is that that we see. God, you heard, God is love. not that God has love only as a part of Him, God is love, this is in very nature who He is, God is kind, His loving kindness never runs out, His loving kindness doesn't wane, He actually bestows all that is necessary upon His people this is a clear promise that God will answer our prayer in the time of trial He will answer it. Not that he may answer it. Dear people, when we're going through trials, there's no way whatsoever we can come to the place and say, maybe God will answer this. And another thing I believe we see right here, though we may not have the understanding, we see here, it is God's will to answer. When we ask for wisdom, we don't have to say, Lord, if it be thy will, give me wisdom. We already know it's his will. Some things are clear like that. We may have to ask for wisdom on certain things, but we ask this. This is His will. And it says it plainly, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Can it make it any plainer than that? Can we turn that upside down any kind of way and say, well, you know, God may not give? No! If we do that, I'll tell you what happens. First of all, before we move into what happens, you notice what God says in this. In this exhortation, not only do we see the exhortation itself in a character of God, but we also see the place of faith in this exhortation. And this is the positive, it fits still to the positive side. Notice what it says in verse 6. But he must ask in faith without doubting. This is where it's hard, isn't it, brethren? This is where it's hard. But he must ask in faith without doubting. Now you and I understand what faith is. It is that trust in God. Trust in Him and who He is. Trust in His word and His promises and all things that He said He would do. It's trusting in Him, not because I deserve, but because of His character. And James just showed us that above in a verse there. He will, and what he will give? He will give to all generously. And it will be given. So it's now. He must ask in faith. The faith for this particular time is that God is faithful to give what is needed. Doubting here is to be in strife within yourself. To hesitate. It is to be at a place where you cannot make up your mind. And in this particular spot, not make up your mind how God will act. What is he going to do? Well, he may not give it to me, or he may... No. James says, uh-uh. True faith must be exercised here. But he must, he says, Ask in faith. He must ask knowing and understanding God and His character and what He does. He must ask with all in his mind and heart understanding God and what He has already said. And even in this particular aspect, he must ask knowing that God will give generously. He will not reproach. and the thing you're asking for will be given to you now I don't think I have to close or box this in as far as this prayer here is concerned because it's clear from the very context this is wisdom to deal with trials deal with trials This is not in every other place. Now we use this, that God give me wisdom, and we use this in other places. But in the context is here dealing with trials. And it's faith that God will answer our prayer as we are going through trials. Now there are times when we may have to ask for wisdom for something else. you know, and then we would and I believe we still could lay on the same verse that the Lord will give wisdom if we want to do something to the will of God and for his joy and for his glory he will give it but James is saying here you have come into some particular trial and you are to have the posture of joy in your heart knowing that God has brought the trial along in order that you may create faith and endurance, and come to a more complete level of a Christian. And then as the trial comes, you're going to ask God for wisdom to deal with the trial in such a way that you will give glory and honor to God. Do you think He's going to say no? That's what it means by asking in faith. God is not going to say no to that prayer. God is not going to say, were you not ready yet? Sometimes, you know, we talk about prayer, God may answer the prayer, yes, no, or not yet. God is going to give, and this is the very thing you focus upon. God is going to answer the prayer, and that's the thing. This is the thing that the Holy Spirit wants us to see and understand. And so in this, as we see this positive part of it, it will be, it's the faith. No doubting. Not a mind that is going hither and yon. A mind that can't even, as it were, settle upon this truth. It's just all over the place. There's this strangeness going into the head. You bring up all these reasons why you ought not get it or whatever. Or even bringing up some ungodly thoughts about God himself. But he must ask in faith without any doubting. And then he brings into the negative aspect of this very exhortation. For or because the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. He gives us this example, this illustration. Most of us have been to the beach, so we don't spend much time there. The wave comes in, and the wave goes out. The wave comes in, and the wave goes out. And that's what he said. The man moves over here, and he moves over there. He moves over here, and he moves over there. He can't stand settled on one idea, or we should say truth of God. He's all over the place. Let that man expect that he will receive anything from God as it goes on from this. Isn't that something? But he must ask in faith without any doubting. For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord. Brethren, that's powerful. Double-minded means two-spirited, vacillating. The word is only used here by James. It is a person that is doubtful. He is unable to set his mind upon a single matter and rest in that truth. James uses it again in James 4 and 8. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hearts, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. You can see what he's saying there. They're going to have to sin and they're trying to worship God at the same time. Still going to have to sin. No, he says you have to move away from that. There's got to be a man that stands firmly. He stands firmly upon the truth. And here he goes again in verse 8, he says, that man is unstable in all his ways. Unsteady, unsteady, unsettling. Again, this is a word used only by James. And it says, here's the way the man, the man has no grounds, no foundation set in truth. And I believe we can say it that way. Because if there's some question about what God is going to do, you don't understand God. You don't know who He is. But here's the thing that I believe is most unsettling to every one of us when we get into this. Verse seven again, go back up. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord. Six, but he must ask in faith without any doubting. You know what? The commentators say it this way. Doubt will not allow your prayer to be answered. If you have doubt, don't even expect an answer for your prayer. That's powerful, isn't it? If we think, and sometimes we use this, James is saying it right here. Do not use it here. Remember the man when Jesus and the disciples came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, and then there was the one with the disciples who were left at the bottom. He asked them to root out a demon from his child, but they couldn't do it. And so the man says, talks to Jesus, he couldn't do it. Jesus says, do you believe? He said, yes, I believe, but help thou my unbelief. There are times when there may be that, or even we look to John the Baptist in prison and we see him as now he's taken by Herod and he put him in prison and he knows that he's seen the Lord Jesus Christ because God himself has indicated this is the one who is to come and he was just the forerunner cutting the path for him to come and then he says and sent his disciples out and said is he the one or do we look for another? He became doubtful at that particular time. And we use that sometimes. But James is saying right here, in the midst of trials which God has ordered, in order to cause us to grow in faith, there can't be any doubt when we cry unto God that He will give wisdom for the trial. Now that's clear here, and this is what you and I have to understand. And John is saying here, that that be the case, that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from God. Now that's a harsh verse, isn't it? But if we are in the midst of trial, then God has shown them that He got us there, it's for our own growth, and therefore now, cry out to me, and I'll give you what you need, I'll give it to you generously, and if you doubt that, guess what? No answer! You see, in the very trial itself, a lot of things are going to go on. with us. It's not going to be so easy when we get in the trial. We're going to find ourselves even looking at the situation and there will be the anxiety that will come upon us. Paul writes to the Philippians, he says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Let it be known. What do you want? Let it be known to God. And I believe Paul says something there which is similar to what James is saying here. He says then, and the peace of God will guard your minds and your hearts in Christ Jesus. You pray in that time of anxiety. God is not going to say, I can't hear you. little bit louder, I'm busy over there, no he's gonna get all his attention to you and he's gonna answer that prayer and so therefore in times like this we have to know and understand God has made it clear Oh, you may go through things that the very heart is so down, and you're wondering, did you do this? Did you do that? Or what is it wrong with? How come this? And nothing can even be untwined together. Your spiritual life, your physical life, all of it is so tied up together, you can't pull it away. You don't know which way to start. Do I go and do this? Do I wait for this? Or what do I do, Lord? You think God, at that time, is going to say, I'm going to let you suffer. No. He's going to answer the prayer. He's committed himself to answer the prayer. He's going to give you and I what we need. And the real anxiety that comes, and Christians, you will have anxiety. Some decisions or some trials that come to us, we find ourselves saying, Lord, how do I handle this? What do I do? Or maybe even before we get there, we get so overburdened with the anxiety, we almost can't pray. But this is what James is saying, if you lack wisdom, go to God. And so we have to, as Paul says here, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, With Thanksgiving, I think the Thanksgiving part let us know that it is God who is in control of all things and therefore we come to Him knowing who He is and all that we have even right now we can thank Him for it and therefore we can now make this request known to Him for this particular situation and He's going to guard our hearts with the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's going to do. So you and I have to be able to say in this trial there's nowhere else to go but to God. And as we go to God, God is going to hear us. He's going to answer us. He promises that. Oh, let verse five stay close to you. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. God is not going to be stingy to you. He's not going to decide, well, you don't deserve this particular thing at this time. No, he's going to give it to you. Again, dear people, it is in the trials which have been fitted for our lives by God himself. Now you see, we grow through trials. One of the brethren mentioned last time we were on this mini-series about, how about the Apostle Peter? When Jesus says to him, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. And you there is plural, you disciples as wheat. What did Christ do? Get behind me, Satan? No, stay away. He allowed the trial to come. But when you turn, strengthen your brethren. The trial is going to do what God would have it to do. Because he already said to Peter, Peter said, I'll die for you. Get his sword and come out. And he meant it. But Peter didn't know his own heart. He didn't know how weak he was in certain areas. Big, strong man in other areas, but not in that one. And so God had to show him what he was in order that he will grow to be that disciple that God and Christ wanted him to be. I'll die for you. You're going to deny me three times. You'll deny me this night. Then, after being turned Peter can tell us, be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion to see whom he may devour. Now he can teach us something, huh? Because he learned that truth. And dear people, that's what God's going to do in trials. He is going to teach us more and more of who we are, our own heart. Faith is going to soar more and more. We're going to see areas that we need to see and learn. You know, we say it in a certain sense that when something happens to us, the first thing we ask is, Lord, what is the purpose for us? And that is good! Because if it's not you or I committing our own sins and God dealing with us for sin, if the trial come and you know it didn't come for something that you've done or I've done, then we say, Lord, what is the purpose for this? But when we come to James chapter 1, we know the purpose. To grow, to make us complete, or to mature us as Christians. And in the midst of it, dear people, it's not as easy as some would make it. It's hurtful. It's painful. But we have to succumb to the truth of God's Word. Let me finish with a few applications. First of all, all trials do not require the same kind of wisdom. Sometimes we make a mistake and we think that I've gone through a trial and I know what God has done to get me through it, so I can take this one. I can go through this one. All trials do not require the same kind of wisdom. There's a different kind of wisdom you may need if you're in a financial trial than what you need if there's a health situation. different wisdom, you know, how do we pray? what things do we seek God for? what wisdom do we need to go through this entire matter? all trials do not require the same kind of wisdom and that's why I believe James was saying we must understand first of all if we don't have the wisdom to ask God secondly, the same type of trial may require different wisdom the second or third time around Say for instance, a financial trial. First time may be easy to work through it. Small situation, we got it done. Second or third time may have more involved and more devastation upon the family. How do I handle this section, God? What do I do now? How about health? An illness that requires a doctor's visit and medication is not the same. You're not on the same level of trial as one that needs surgery. Lord, what wisdom we need and use now. The wisdom needed, here's what we understand. The wisdom needed in each of these situations will be different. And that's why we cry to God for the wisdom. Because the Lord Himself will give us the wisdom at a particular time. and dear people if we go with Monday and we have a trial with something and God gives us what we need by asking for wisdom and here comes Wednesday and one of the similar type is here we go again for fresh wisdom and asking God what to do if we would take to ourselves and believe that what he did on Monday I can hold on to that and do it watch how fast we fall I mentioned the anxiety We need to understand this too, brethren. In the midst of trials, anxiety can overtake the Christian. No such thing that you and I will not come into an anxious state where we will begin to not know what to do. The psalmist teaches us that. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. Go to God. and then even the psalmist in most of those sections after he does that and he says something about God and at the end of the psalm he's like he's on fire he's like he's in the midst of a time where all he's now doing is giving praise to God because he thinks about God what God has done for him and then now he can rely upon God to even meet the occasion that he's in right now And so therefore, when Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing, it's because we can rest in the very person of God and His promise to us. But yet, do not believe for one moment that trials will not take you through some anxiety. Now there may be different levels of anxiety, but all of us find ourselves wrestling over an issue. Even when we have the first inkling of it, it comes to us. Oh Lord, what do I do with this? How do I handle this? That's anxiety, though at a different level, a lower level. But sometimes, in some of us, it goes up high and high and high, especially as time goes on. But you see, what James is telling us here, or what God is telling us through the pen of James, you go to Him and you seek wisdom. Not try to figure the thing out ourselves. Go to Him. Ask for wisdom. Also, God does not get tired of blessing you. That's a beautiful thought. That's a beautiful thought. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach. He does not get tired of blessing you. Dear people, we have to understand that as Christians. If Paul could say in Romans chapter 8, what good thing will he withhold from us? He's given us his son. Why should we for one second doubt God or wonder what He gave? What's the best thing to Him? His beloved Son. He gave Him to us. Why should we remember or think for one moment He will not give the wisdom needed for the hour? God does not get tired of blessing you. I don't care how many times you have come. God still is ready to bless you. Also, the graces needed to go through the trial will be supplied abundantly. Abundantly. Generously. It's going to come to you. It's going to be poured on you. Here's the trial. Now sometimes we pray wrongly and that's why we don't get the answer. Or that's why we're not receiving the whistle. We may not pray for it the right way. But pray according to what he says here and it will come abundantly. But remember, if you pray with doubt, you will not receive an answer to your prayer. I don't know how else to say that, the way James says it. If you pray with doubt, in as many ways, you can express doubt. I believe in a situation like this, we can express doubt by saying, Lord, if it be thy will. You know, people do that, don't they? There's a person over there that I want to go talk to him. Lord, if it be thy will, I'll talk to him. Tell a man about Christ. Now you may pray, Lord, open a door and make it where I can get this conversation in. You know it's God's will for you to go and tell sinners about Christ. You know that. But in this particular situation, Lord, how are you going to open a door? Can you speak to that one? But now in here, in this aspect, there's no place for asking God's will to give you wisdom for the trial. He's already expressed it is His will. It's His promise. And He's going to give it to you generously. So if you come doubting whether or not you will receive the wisdom, James says, forget it. The prayer will not be answered. That's pretty clear, isn't it? He's telling us, do not be double-minded. Don't be unstable. Go to God. Lay the case before Him with expectation. If you expect the answer, and if you expect the answer, it's upon the nature and character of God, you will have it. Trials are going to come. How do you deal with them? Well, I say, look often in James chapter 1, verses 2 to 8. Go back time and time again, and in the midst of the trial, go there. Settle in your heart that you are not a doubter of God. and His kindness and His mercy, His generous hand to give you what you need at this time. Go to God and settle in your mind. You are His child and He's already indicated He will never leave you nor forsake you. Go to God and know again that He says, I care for you. And then pray. Pray for wisdom for the trial. And I believe I can bring in from Malachi 3. He says, prove me and see won't I bless you. Let us pray.