Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 HCSB.
Ok, before you accuse me of animal cruelty or being stupid let me explain.
About 15 years ago I was working as police officer in Charlotte, NC. While driving one day during a heavy rain storm I noticed two kids on a rubber raft that had been swept away by the current of a swollen, rural creek and were hanging on to a tree that had fallen into the water. I stopped my patrol car, radioed for help and along with some passersby, immediately jumped out and went to their aid. As I reached the kids who were hanging on for dear life and attempted to make my way to them across the fallen log I noticed that coming down the creek, at the speed of the rushing water, was the largest cottonmouth snake I had ever seen. The problem was the snake was headed directly toward the kids further complicating the situation. People who had gathered on both sides of the creek now were screaming about the snake and for me to do something. My initial reaction was to pick up a large branch and throw it at the snake in hopes of diverting it. Well, it worked but the snake, now obviously irritated changed course for me. As I rapidly backed up onto the shore the snake followed.
I am not a big fan of snakes. I am not scared of snakes I just don’t like them, especially the kind that bite and cottonmouths are quite aggressive. I would have liked to have pulled my Smith & Wesson 40 cal. and immediately ended the snake’s aggression but there were far too many people around at that point for me to start shooting. I remember vividly praying out loud, “God what am I going to do here?” I needed some immediate wisdom to deal with this situation; I had two kids about to be swept downstream and an angry snake chasing me into a crowd of people seemingly intent on biting me despite my best efforts to get away. Suddenly, as if in response to my prayer, I 
remembered we had just been issued pepper spray and that snakes had very sensitive glands in their nose and tongue so I decided to give it a try. I let loose a stream of pepper spray at the snake’s head and it immediately stopped its aggression. As a matter of fact, the snake reared up, flipped over, writhed on the ground until it was able to flip itself back into the water just beyond where the kids were holding on to the down tree. It swam into a pile of brush, curled up, and stayed there. The pepper spray worked and we were able to safely pull the kids from the water. After, some of the bystanders asked me what made me think to use my pepper spray. I explained to them it was not my first choice but that it had to have been God that gave me the idea in response to my prayer as I was out of options.
So yes I did pepper spray a snake but it was in “self defense”. God also gave me wisdom when I asked for it at a moment I needed it most. I am glad God didn’t question me about my need for wisdom, criticize me, or otherwise argue with me about what I needed to do. He just gave me wisdom when I asked for it. When He gave it, I acted on it.
The operative word in today’s verse however, is “ask”. If you lack wisdom and you need wisdom you must first ask for wisdom. If you ask for it, God promises to give it.
Why do we have to ask for wisdom? For starters, to have to ask for wisdom means we don’t have the answers. To admit you don’t have all the answers is to admit you’re human. To admit you’re human is to humble yourself. To humble yourself is to be in the place God needs you to be so He can reveal His wisdom to you in such a way that you and others will know it came from Him and not of your own doing. If God pre-programmed us with all the wisdom we needed we would never have to depend on Him.
Maybe you have never had to deal with an angry snake in a crowd of people before but you have faced situations where you needed wisdom. Did you ask God? How did He answer you? Maybe you are in a situation now (aren’t we all when it comes down to it) where we could use an extra measure of wisdom to deal with a situation we are facing. Maybe it’s a relationship question, a career decision, or a major financial uncertainty. Instead of trying to figure it all out on your own why not ask for wisdom? Why not allow God to work through your situation with you? Divine wisdom beats human wisdom any day and in the end, the outcome will not only be greater than we could achieve on our own but God will be glorified as well.
Whatever situation in life you are facing now in which you could use an extra measure of wisdom God can help you with. Go ahead and ask Him. He will give it. Take it from someone who has pepper sprayed a snake and knows.
