(Basics) 44. God Can Give You Wisdom

Last time we were thinking about finding our security in God as a father. We need to think about that a little more because I believe that once we solve this problem of finding security, many of the other problems in your life will be solved. It's wonderful to see that God has made provision for every single need of ours.

You know, when God created Adam, He gave Adam certain desires, not sinful desires. For example, the desire for food, as a result of which Adam was hungry and he would feel thirsty. He needed to drink water.

Now, can you imagine if God had created these desires in Adam for food and water, and if He had not provided food and water in the world, how terrible it would have been. Adam's life would have been a torture. Hunger, but no food.

Thirst, but no water. But you see that when God put such a desire within Adam, He provided food and water outside in the world. And there's plenty of it for all of us.

The same way with sleep and the desire to rest. We all need to sleep, and that's why God has made the sun, the earth to move, rotate on its axis, and the sun to rise and set, so that we have day and night, so that people can sleep and rest. God's made provision for that, and that our bodies automatically sleep when we are tired.

And in the same way, sexual desire. If God created man with tremendous sexual desire, but never gave him a wife, what would happen to Adam? He would be absolutely frustrated. But when God created Adam with such a desire, He also gave him a wife.

Now, what do we learn from all these things? That if there is a desire that God has created in our heart, there is an answer and a provision for it somewhere. Spiritually also it's the same. There are longings we have in our heart for God, and He wants to fulfill all of them, fully, totally.

One of the great needs we have in our life is to find security, to be free from loneliness and feeling lost and alone in this world. It's very easy to feel like that, you know. You can live in a home with many children and feel lonely.

You can be in a large church and feel lonely. In fact, there are a lot of people who meet in small house churches with five or six people who are more free from loneliness than some person who attends a church with 3,000 members. It's not just a lot of people around us that removes loneliness from our life.

And I want to tell you, if you try to find the answer to your loneliness in just finding friends among people, you will never find a complete answer. You'll be disappointed one day. You need to first find your answer to your loneliness in God, in Jesus.

The Bible says there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and that's Jesus Christ. So, when we know God is a Father who cares, we're no longer orphans. You see, an orphan is a person who's got no father and mother.

Think if he has a need suddenly, who can he go to? He can go to some uncle or auntie, but he'll have to go like a beggar. He doesn't know whether the uncle or auntie will help him. And the uncle or auntie may treat him in a very bad way.

But if he's got a father, the father won't treat the son like a beggar. He can go and ask his father for anything, any amount of money, any amount of inconvenience. He can ask his father to go through.

But he'll hesitate to ask an uncle or an auntie or somebody else. But when he has a father, he's secure. If he has a problem he doesn't know the solution to, he can discuss it with his father.

If he's far away in some city, he can ring up his father. It's wonderful to have a father, an earthly one. And it's exactly the same spiritually.

When you have found God as your heavenly father, you can never feel lonely again. It is impossible. Because the phone line is always open.

You can always ring him up, you can always call him, wherever you are. You can tell him every need of yours. In fact, he knows your need even before you tell him.

And he has an answer to every problem you can ever face in your life. Let me assure you this. I hope you believe it.

It doesn't matter what your problem is. It doesn't matter how serious it is. I want to tell you in Jesus' name that God has got a solution for it.

And if you will come to him in faith as a father who desires to help you, he won't scold you. I want to give you a lovely promise in the word of God so that your faith does not rest on my words. You know, faith comes by the word of God.

I may say something to you on this program. How do you know I'm speaking the truth? I may be just telling you some psychologically nice things to say to make you feel nice. But that will evaporate once the program is over.

You'll feel nice for a few minutes or maybe for a few hours. And then when you face the realities of life, you're stuck. And you need to listen to a program again to soothe you.

Now, we're not speaking to you over this program just to soothe you psychologically. These are real answers to the real problems of life. This is God's word.

Let me read it to you. The letter of James in the New Testament. James chapter 1 and verse 5. What does it say here? If any of you lack wisdom.

What is wisdom? There's a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge means the study of some particular subject. It could be chemistry.

It could be mathematics. It could be the Bible. You can have chemistry knowledge, mathematics knowledge or Bible knowledge.

But with chemistry knowledge, you may still have problems. With Bible knowledge also, you may still have problems. And that chemistry knowledge doesn't help you with that particular practical problem in life.

And Bible knowledge also may not help you in practical problems in life. There are so many people with so much Bible knowledge who are still anxious and worried and tense and fighting and quarreling and insecure and jealous and competitive and everything. Their Bible knowledge is no better than knowledge of mathematics or science.

But what is wisdom? Wisdom is the knowledge of God which helps us to find a practical solution. Not one which doesn't work. That would be a theoretical solution.

A practical solution to a particular problem that we are facing. Okay, that's wisdom. The knowledge of God.

Not a knowledge of a book. You know that there is a lot of difference between knowing the Bible and knowing God? You know, supposing you from childhood were separated from your father and lived far away from your father for 25 years. And you read a book about your father's life story.

Every detail. You would know about your father by reading that book. But you don't know your father.

You have never spoken to him for 25 years. But another child who has grown up with his father, who has never read any book about his father, who has grown up with his father for 5-6 years, knows his father better than you know your father. And many people read the Bible.

It's like reading a biography of your father. And you don't know your father himself. Wisdom is a knowledge of God as a father.

And thus, finding a solution to whatever problem I am facing right now. It doesn't matter whether it's a family problem, a financial problem, a problem of marrying, getting your children married, problem of getting education for your children or employment for them, or finding a house to live in. There are so many difficulties in the world in which we live.

The answer is in God. If anyone lacks wisdom, anyone means anyone. You qualify to be one of those.

Do you lack wisdom? That means do you lack a solution to that problem you are facing? Let him ask God. What should you do? You have run around and asked so many people and it hasn't solved your problem. Why don't you do something else now? Why don't you ask God? God can hear you right where you are.

Right now, if you call out to God, He can hear you. Will He give you? Sure. He's a father.

He's not an uncle. He's not a neighbor. Even a helpful neighbor may help us, but a father much more.

And He's the best father of all. And He'll give you the best. Jesus once said, If you fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him? If your son asks you for bread, will you give him a stone? No.

If he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? Will you give him something to harm him? No, you'll give him exactly what he needs. That's exactly how God is. He gives us exactly what He needs.

And He says, God will give you and generously. That's what this verse is. James 1.5. Not a few drops.

You ask for a spoon, He'll give you a bucket. Okay? You need a spoonful of wisdom. He'll give you a bucket of it.

Generously. God is like that. And the other thing it says here is, without scolding you.

You know, fathers sometimes scold their children. Oh, you stupid fellow. Don't you know the answer to that? God will never scold us.

Remember this. He'll never scold us. He'll never say, why don't you know the answer to that? It will be given to you.

There's only one condition. Okay? Now listen to this condition. You have to ask in faith.

That's what it says in James 1.6. In fact, it goes on to say, in verse 6 and 7, that if you don't ask in faith, you won't get it. You may want the wisdom. God may want to give it to you.

The need is there. The solution is there. But you don't get it.

Because when you ask, you don't believe. It's that simple. Maybe this is the reason why you haven't found a solution to your problems yet.

Why don't you decide today onwards to believe the revelation of God that Jesus brought. God as a Father who knows your every need. Maybe a physical need for healing.

Maybe a spiritual need. Whatever it is. Maybe a solution for a family problem that's gone on for years.

You may not be able to solve the problem, but you may be able to solve that part of it that's bothering you. Ask in faith. Say, Lord, today onwards, I'm going to believe.

I want to believe that you will solve this problem of mine. Why? Because you're my Father. Because Jesus loves me.

Died for me. I'm cleansed in his blood. I'm your son.

I'm your daughter. I have a right to ask you. You are my Father.

Why don't you ask God right now? Mention that problem. Be specific. Don't be general.

Be specific. And say, Lord, this particular problem, I commit it to you. I'm trusting you to answer me.

And you can be absolutely certain that God will give you generously without scolding you. And God will be glorified. Be sure to give him the glory when the answer comes.