Importuning God

I ask God for wisdom because he bids us ask (James 1). Sometime I am perplexed as to why I am not more wise. There seems to be no end of having to ask: I am constantly at his mercy, back at his door every day for a new favor.

My friend Jayne said that this is all good, and not to be regarded as though something had failed. She said that what we tend to want when asking for wisdom is our own private cache of it; we want to own wisdom as a commodity --- so that we won't have to go and ask again!

But that would make us like Simon the Sorcerer, who saw the gift of the Holy Spirit in action and lusted for it, and would fain plunk down money to own it and be done with the inconvenient business of humbly seeking God for it daily.

Any wish to possess God's gift without God is a Bible definition of "idolatry." Any wish to be independent of God is not in His design for us. God is interested in relationship. He wants to be asked for things. How wonderful is that! Who else do you know who actually wants to be importuned by you day and night for favors?