If you read the Bible with any regularity there are probably a few verses or principles or truths that leave you dumbfounded every time you read them.

For me James 1:5 is case in point. James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God and it will be given to him."

The scary thing is it seems most of us don't even realize that we lack wisdom. Most of us think we've got it all figured out. And if need be we'll fake it rather than admit we're deficient in much of anything. Our propensity toward self-deception is just huge.

It seems to actually take at least a crumb of wisdom to admit we lack wisdom. Thus, fools don't ask for wisdom because they don't realize they lack wisdom because they have absolutely zero wisdom because they think they're already wise.

Proverbs says, "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. He who trusts in himself is a fool."

The fact that so few ever ask God for wisdom, the fact that most seem content to rely on what little they understand rather than humbly asking the Maker of all wisdom for perspective reveals just how foolish we can be.

It floors me that the God of the universe who created you, me, and everything else promises to give us something we desperately need if we will simply ask him. This is nothing short of fantastic.

If God said, "Ask me for a 2008 Corvette and I will give it to you" do you think I would hesitate? Do you think I would ask once, maybe twice, and then forget to ask on day three? Do you think I would ask and then turn my attention elsewhere?

Yet when it comes to asking God for wisdom, which he promises to grant if we will simply ask him, it seems most don't even bother. And those that do ask do so for a few days or a few circumstances or a few prayers before drifting back to life as usual forgetting all the while they are woefully deficient in the very thing God promises to give them if they will simply ask him.

The truth is we're all capable of that level of foolishness, of that depth of self-deception.

Might one reason God is so sickened by pride in people be because they lack the humility to admit they need his perspective? Might he view our pious, know-it-all, self-righteous attitudes as a slap to his face and rebut to his generous offer of the very thing we most need?

The Apostle Peter reminds us, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand."

I don't know about you (actually I do know about you but I'm trying to be tactful here) but I need wisdom like a fish needs water. I need wisdom not just for the hard stuff but for every second of every day because left to my own I'll play the role of the fool every time.

And so will you. And if you think you're an exception to that last sentence, well, you might want to begin reading at the top again.

Gothard is Senior Pastor

of New Community Church

in Elizabeth City and

can be reached at 75vette@coastalnet.com