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 him.

Hello, listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central, and today's podcast addresses the question,

Why does God give liberally to those who ask? The invitation in the Epistle of James for any who lack wisdom to ask God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him, holds a significant place in the history of the restoration.

Reflecting on when he read this verse as a confused and uncertain youth, Joseph Smith said,

Never did any passage of Scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this

time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart.

Reflecting on this passage ultimately compelled him to go out to what would become the

sacred grove and seek God in prayer, leading to the first vision.

Given how James focuses on prayer at the beginning of his letter, one can understand why

this verse had such a large impact and continues to have

one to believers in Christ throughout the world. According to James, prayer is an especially

effective tool to gain wisdom. While wisdom is generally understood to refer to skill at life,

particularly the ability to make sound judgments and speak the right words,

the wisdom referred to in the Bible often has deeper, more significant meanings than can be

captured in English in one word. Particularly, as used by James, wisdom refers to the gift of God,

which enables one to be perfect, or in James's conception, to stand the test

of mortality. This meaning is especially prevalent in other early Jewish works, such as

Second Baruch, Second Esdras, First Enok, and Surach. When we receive wisdom from the Lord,

then we are enabled to live in a godly and righteous way.

Those who ask can be assured that they will receive this divine gift because of the nature of God.

James assures us that God continually gives and is universal, unequivocal and generous, and all that he gives to his children.

By his very nature, God wants to bless everyone, and all that is required of us is to come to him,

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