James 1:5 (GNV)

Passage

If any of you lacke wisedome, let him aske of God, which giueth to all men liberally, and reprocheth no man, and it shalbe giuen him.

Nearby Context

James 1:3 Knowing that ye trying of your faith bringeth forth patience,

James 1:4 And let patience haue her perfect worke, that ye may be perfect and entier, lacking nothing.

James 1:5 If any of you lacke wisedome, let him aske of God, which giueth to all men liberally, and reprocheth no man, and it shalbe giuen him.

James 1:6 But let him aske in faith, and wauer not: for hee that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, tost of the winde, and caried away.

James 1:7 Neither let that man thinke that hee shall receiue any thing of the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lacke", "wisedome", "aske", "giueth", "liberally", "reprocheth", "shalbe", and "giuen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lacke" and "wisedome", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And let patience haue her perfect worke..." into verse 6's "But let him aske in faith and...", so "lacke" and "wisedome" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lacke" and "wisedome" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.