James 1:5 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 to him.
God promises to give godly wisdom, not worldly wisdom, to those who ask. Just ask. Specifically, He is telling us to pray for wisdom in the matter of ”counting it total joy when we fall into various trials.” We need God’s wisdom to understand that this present trial is working something good in me. With wisdom we can believe that this is good for me, but not necessarily will we understand how God is working it out together for good. It is enough to trust Him to know what He is doing.
Generally, we can apply this promise to any matter about which we do not know what to do or how to think about it. The ”if” condition includes all people: we all lack wisdom. We only deceive ourselves if we think our own human wisdom can find the answer. I must admit, ”I lack wisdom;” therefore, I ask for it. It is a sure word of promise that God will give me the wisdom needed in a given matter. For He is a generous giver, and He will not scold us for asking. So use this promise: ask for wisdom; God has the solution, and He will give it to you.