• Contact
  • Return to IBSA
  • Advertise Through Us
  • Subscribe
  • E-Reader

IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

  • Quick Links
    • E-Reader
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
  • News
    • IBSA
    • SBC
    • Culture
    • Illinois Churches
  • Stories
    • Church Planting
    • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns
    • Scott Foshie
    • Eric Reed
    • Meredith Flynn
    • Table Talk
    • Reporter’s Notebook
    • Encouraging Words
Encouraging Words

I don’t know, but God does

April 1, 2020 By Doug Munton

I love the promise God gives in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”

What a wonderful word from God. We can have wisdom. We can begin to see our world as God sees it and gain the perspective God gives. I love that!

The perspective of our culture is short-sighted and fearful and focused on self. God wants us to see the world from an eternal perspective that is filled with faith and focused on Jesus. That can be ours!

If you have ever traveled to a new place, it is so nice to have someone with you who knows the area. They can give you guidance, keep you from going the wrong way, and show you the best sights.

I’ve never been down the path of this life before. I don’t know all the twists and turns ahead. I’m not sure how to deal with pandemics and anxieties and questions. I’m not sure how to stay connected in a time of social distancing. But the Lord is capable of handling all those things. He knows the way. He knows the fears. He knows what is best and right and good.

In trying times, we need wisdom as never before. Ask God for this gift which he willingly offers to you. He wants you to have it and he offers it to you generously and ungrudgingly.

Join me in praying for a giant helping of God’s wisdom today. God promises to give it, and he always keeps his word!

Doug Munton pastors First Baptist Church in O’Fallon.

Share This Story

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Featured Columns

Scott Foshie and Heartland interns

Foshie: Seeking Spirit-led momentum

Scott Foshie

As a young man starting out in ministry, I was reminded by mentors many times that “serving the Lord is a marathon, not a sprint.” This admonition continues to ring true as we launch into this new season of Illinois Baptist life. While we celebrate many signs of growing Spirit-led momentum in our Great Commission […]

Mark Emerson

Worth every effort

Mark Emerson

When the news came, I was tired—Day 4 of VBS tired. Tired had been the theme of every drive home with my wife that week. Somewhere along the way I had finally asked the question only the overly weary ask: “How long are we going to keep this up?” Months of planning had become weeks […]

Messengers close loophole

Eric Reed

It seemed like no big deal at the time. Messengers quickly voted for a change to the Baptist Faith and Message in 2023, there was no great debate. The motion came up and it kind of slid through—and that’s the problem. In 2026 they voted to prevent that from ever happening again. At the 2026 […]

More Columns

Final claim dismissed in Johnny Hunt lawsuit

Scott Barkley

Nashville | A U.S. district court has once again sided with the Southern Baptist Convention and other defendants in a suit brought by former SBC President Johnny Hunt. Chief District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., of the Middle District of Tennessee issued today (August 12) a final summary judgment on the only remaining claim in the […]

News

Scott Foshie and Hispanic pastors in Chicagoland

Good signs (so far)

Illinois Baptist Staff

Springfield | In church life, some summers are marked by a slump—in giving, attendance or attitude. But not this year, and especially not for IBSA. With the new administration now entering its second quarter, there are notable signs of positive attitudes in the network of churches. Some observations are anecdotal, with stories coming from the […]

IMB missionary dies while serving in the Philippines

Young returns to IBSA team

More News Stories

Mission

World Cup scores for digital witness

Illinois Baptist Staff

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup roared to a close and Spain left holding the trophy, Southern Baptist churches and missionaries around the world prayed for impact that outlasts the hardware. Southern Baptists mission boards joined churches and associations in digital and in-person outreach, as North America hosted the World Cup for the first time […]

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

More Mission Stories

  • News
  • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns

Copyright © 2026 · Website by Megaphone Designs