The Formula, Command, and Miracle of James Chapter One Verse Five

In his fifteenth year, Joseph Smith desired to join the right church. His mind “was greatly excited” on the subject of religion. “The cry and tumult were… great and incessant.”
He said it was “impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong” (JS-History 1:8-10). 

Then everything changed. “While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: 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” (JS-History 1:11). Thank heaven for these words. Everything changed for Joseph and for every person who has lived on Earth.

The formula 

These words can still change lives. They are a formula, which I thank my husband for pointing out to me. The formula is: If any of you lack _____________, let him or her ask of God. The idea is to fill in the blank with whatever attribute you lack or want to strengthen. The virtues in Doctrine and Covenants, section four, are useful examples: if any of you lack faith, if any of you lack hope, if any of you lack charity and love, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, humility, or diligence. 

Part of the power of the formula is thatJames speaks directly to you, the reader.“If any of you” has much greater impact than “If anyone out there lacks wisdom.” 

It surprises me, though, that James chapter one verse five is about wisdombecause patience is the topic of the two preceding verses: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work…” (James 1:3-4, italics added). It seems logical the next verse would continue: “Therefore, if any of you lack patience….” But, James, under the inspiration of heaven, used the word wisdom because that is what Joseph Smith needed and desired. I think these eleven words were written specifically to and for him. He wrote in his history:“I reflected on [James 1:5] again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did” (JS-History 1:12). 

The command

If you were in an English class and your teacher asked you to identify the subject in the sentence, “Ask of God,” you would correctly answer “you.”In grammatical terms “you” is the understood subject. Understood subjects command: Get up. Who should get up? You. Open the window. Who should open the window? You. Stop. Who should stop? You. Ask of God. Who should ask of God? You.

James promises if you do ask God, “it shall be given [you]” (James 1:5), but he doesn’t say when or how. In some spectacular instances, answers come like beaming, flashing lights on an airport runway. On the other extreme, your promised land may come after wandering forty years in the wilderness with Moses, a journey that should have taken several weeks. 

James teaches two important facts about what to expect when you “ask of God.” First, your part of the formula is not finished when you get up off your knees. “Prayer is a form of work” (Bible Dictionary, prayer). Receiving desired blessings is most often a process rather than an event. James said: “Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead”
(James 2:18-20)? Second, though you may ask “in faith nothing wavering” (James 1:6), God in his omnipotence knows if your request is right for you. The purpose of prayer is to align your human desire with God’s will that you ask not in vain. James said: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss” (James 4:3). The meaning of “amiss” is given in the rest of the sentence, “that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Asking for wisdom or any other virtue will be withheld if your motive is immoral, prideful, or self-serving. 

I was humbled recently in a situation in which I thought I had pure motive. But the verbal exchange troubled me through a sleepless night. As I analyzed my heart, I realized I had tried to control the situation. I spoke when I should have kept silent, bite my tongue as my mother would say. And the worst part is that I had prayed for the Spirit to bless me in my interactions just hours before. Under the microscope of truth, I knew I had spoken amiss. What I lacked was wisdom.

When you involve your Eternal Father in the process of personal refinement with the desire to serve him as He would be served, you will receive the desired blessings. You pray and work and perhaps refine your request and pray and work some more. You venture forth into the unknown, knowing you are not alone. You listen for promptings and watch for God’s hand. And the answers come—a snippet of knowledge, a fleeting burst of insight, a not-so-gentle reprimand, a precisely timed tender mercy, a burden lifted, a glimpse of hope, a moment of joy, an unexpected helping hand. James spoke truth: “God… giveth… liberally” (James 1:5).

The miracle

It is miraculous to me that Joseph Smith at age fourteen found these world-changing eleven words. It wasn’t an easy find. The Bible has 783,137 words. I have wondered if someone besides the Spirit brought those words to his attention.

On the Church website, an article by Steven C. Harper explains that Joseph may have learned about James chapter one verse five from a Methodist minister named George Lane. The details include the facts that in July 1819, one hundred ministers held a conference “a half-day’s walk from the Smith farm.” According to Joseph’s younger brother, William, Reverend Lane preached a sermon titled, “What church shall I join?” (history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-vision-accounts-synthesis?lang=eng). This circumstance meets Joseph’s descriptions that he “attended their several meetings,” “became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect,” and needed more wisdom to conclude “who was right and who was wrong” (JS-History 1:8). Certainly the Lord could use a Protestant minister as a catalyst for the First Vision.

Whenever I sing about the First Vision in “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer” (Hymn 26), “Oh, how lovely was the morning! Radiant beamed the sun above. Bees were humming, sweet birds singing, Music ringing thru the grove,” I have thought that someone should write a new first verse to teach or remind everyone that Joseph was in the grove because of eleven words in the book of James. 

This idea spilled over a few months ago into some words I wrote for a children’s song titled “James Chapter one Verse Five.” After I wrote the words, I wished I knew someone to write the music. Then the thought came: “The words you have written fit the music and message of ‘Oh, how lovely was the morning.’” 

You know the melody.

When Joseph Smith was fourteen, 

He had a great desire

To know which church to join

Of preachers he inquired.

He found their words confusing

Their beliefs were not the same.

How could he find the true church,

The one with Jesus’ name?

One day he read the Bible, 

Book of James chapter one verse five.

“If any of you lack wisdom,

Let him ask of God in faith.”

A forceful feeling filled his heart;

His trust and courage grew.

He would ask of God which church is right.

Joseph did and so can you.

My prayer today is that the words that opened the curtains of the Restoration will open personal readiness for the upcoming April General Conference as President Russell M. Nelson requested. “Start today by acting on the invitations I extended to you at last general conference to immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration” (churchofjesuschrist.org/blog/my-2020-invitation-to-you-share-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-saviors-gospel?lang=eng).

If any of you lack wisdom how to do this, ask of God.