on James 1:5-6

"If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

If only I had this kind of faith.

James gives us a pretty uncomplicated blueprint for obtaining wisdom here. We simply have to ask. God not only wants us to, He expects us to.

That's the simple part, though. The hard part: listening. For me, really, I don't doubt that God will provide me with the answer(s) I need; I have doubt that I can still myself enough to hear His Voice. I'm the kind of person who surrounds himself with distractions--I'm sure you know someone like me!--that drown the silence and stillness out of my life.

Lately I've been getting more aggressive with the asking part. Those of you who are on our "Walton Family Update" email list (if you're not, and would like to be, I'd love to add you...just let me know) know this. We are getting in the habit of asking specific things from God, as opposed to broad general prayers that do nothing but fulfill the goal of "praying" itself. I wonder if God's not frustrated with those prayers? I wonder if He doesn't sit there going, "OK, yada, yada, yada...now, what is it you really need?" So, anyway, I've been trying this for a few weeks now, and, I have to say, I think it's working, if only in the sense that it's giving me a peace that He knows what's going on in our lives and what we need (as if He didn't already!). I suppose I need to have more faith and expect an answer, for instance, to our financial debts, either in the form of a pile of cash or a second source of income. I guess I should be anticipating our car problems being wiped out, either supernaturally, or by something as simple as someone showing up to fix them for us (which would be supernatural, too, now that I think of it). And that's the next part of the equation for me...first, expecting Him to speak and then listening to His voice.

I'm getting ready to dive into a 30-day journey about the listening part of it. The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes was provided to me free of charge to review if I agreed to post my findings on my blog...so, naturally, I will be. This is a book that explores the notion that prayer is not the boring monologue many of us make it, but is supposed to be a dynamic, interactive conversation with our Creator. The idea is we should be giving God the opportunity to speak to us, instead of drowning Him out with our words. On one hand, I must confess to being a bit nervous about starting this book. It relies heavily on two things I'm uncomfortable with: journaling and long stretches of silent meditation. On the other hand, it's precisely because I'm uncomfortable with those things that I'm excited about diving into this. I'm really pumped about abandoning my "uncomfortableness" and allowing God to do precisely what He wants to do with me. I have no idea what to expect, and I know I won't be able to lean on myself for support...but, after all, isn't that what faith is all about?

In the end, I hope to be more in line with both ends of the formula James provides us with for attaining wisdom. The asking part, I'm getting better at, day by day. The listening part...well, I've got a long way to go. But God's eager to meet me on the journey, I know that much.