Again, lets look at the context surrounding this verse a little more:

Verse 2

2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.

– be joyful when you are dealing with, navigating through a vast array of different and difficult problems of ANY sort or you fall into various temptations.

Now what could some of that vast array of trials or temptations be to individuals or families that have been driven from their lands? All of these produce steadfastness, patience and endurance and then in all of this, if the way forward is still not super clear – then ask God for Wisdom. Some of this could be day-day survival matters, food, shelter, clothing, safe places – re-establishing their family in a new area, cropping, starting a business, trading – there’s so much going on in these peoples lives and all of this pressure and uncertainty James says – “ask God to give you wisdom, from your position of endurance and patience and He will give that to you generously and help you to understand your current lot in life”!

WOW! We tend to so look at life often through the eyes of our very safe largely middle class, very well catered for western world. We have running water, sanitation, endless public and private transport, heath facilities – hospitals doctors, medical centres, dentists – all of our western world extravagances and comfort…yet in so many ways, we are facing life completely bogged down with our first world problems!

Hence the incredible wisdom and instruction packed into future verses about widows, orphans, a genuine Christian faith that systematically produces good works, the rich helping create ways to care for those less fortunate, or less wise.

There is so much we can learn from the book of James.