Pride may lead us: 1) to trust in our own thinking or strength, 2) to refuse or at least resist help, and 3) to distrust the reliability or performance of others. This kind of self-reliance is only one of the ways pride manifests itself, but it’s a common one that affects many of us. We become self-dependent in a way that blinds us to how needy we really are. The humility to ask for help is one of the first steps toward the sight that wisdom affords.
We might not all admit it, but the truth is that when James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom,” he’s talking to everyone (Ja 1:5). The fools and the simple need God’s wisdom, the ignorant and young must seek it, and the wise and experienced have learned to depend on it (Pr 1:4-5). None of us can say to God, “No, thanks. I have all the wisdom I need.” We are destitute and in need of right discernment. Do you see yourself as needy? It’s not a comfortable truth.
Many of us are too proud to ask for help. We’d rather do without than let anyone know we are struggling. We put up a good front, put on a face, and endure through unnecessary hardships because of pride. We might even take our families, businesses, friends, or churches along for the ride. Sometimes—maybe more often than we think—we need to ask for help. Pull the car over, and ask for directions, because you’re lost. We might say, “Oh, I’m not that silly—too proud to ask for directions.” Really? Let’s talk about your prayers. I don’t mean the quick ones before meals or the distracted one you shot up during your commute to work. I mean the struggles and labors, desperate for God’s favor because you can’t live without His grace. You pray that way regularly, right? No? See, we struggle with pride. James says, “Ask God.”
James zeroes in on one particular way in which we need to ask God for wisdom: the wisdom to see trials for what they are. But more on that next week.
—Justin Dobbs