James says that if we pray to God about something but then doubt that he will give it to us, our doubt will toss us around “like a wave of the sea.”1 And if that were not depressing enough, he then adds that the person who doubts “must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”2 And if that were not depressing enough, James then concludes that the person who doubts “is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”3 These are serious statements and explain much about faith and doubt and prayer, so let’s see what we can learn.
Number One: Doubt causes instability, which makes us indecisive. When we are indecisive, we become weak and susceptible to other options that appear better and more sensible than waiting on God. When we trust other avenues, we will take the wrong path. That’s the end result of a person who doubts that God will answer his/her prayer. A faithful person (one who is full of faith), on the other hand, is stable and decisive.
Number Two: Doubt causes double-mindedness, which is nothing but a second opinion that sneaks into our minds and causes us to mistrust what we know about God. We know God loves us, but when we don’t understand what God is doing (or not doing), doubt causes us to form the opinion that God does not truly love us. After all, there is plenty of evidence as to why God should not love us. Doubt tells us it makes sense that God would not answer our prayer. So, instead of trusting God, we trust our own opinion—which is usually a bad idea. It’s why Solomon wrote that we should “trust in the Lord with all [our] heart and do not lean on [our] own understanding.”4 When we trust our understanding of the situation, we will generally take the wrong path, which will be harder or longer, or evil, or all three!—which is why Solomon added that if we consult God in our steps, “he will make straight [our] paths.”5 Therefore, a faithful person (one who is full of faith) will not second guess what he/she knows to be true about God’s love for us.
Number Three: Doubt prevents us from receiving God’s gifts. Note that it is us and not God who prevents this. God does not withhold any good thing from his children, but he will not reward unrighteousness. God’s good and perfect gifts are received when we choose his way, but doubt throws us off his path and onto our own. Even if God did answer our prayer while we were on the wrong path, we would not believe the answer to be from God because in our minds we believe that God really does not love us. A faithful person (one who is full of faith), on the other hand, is in a position to receive many good and perfect gifts from God because he/she is on the right path.
Number Four: Doubt disrupts our journey, which causes us to be miserable “like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”1 When we doubt that God hears our prayer, we become an emotional wreck! Some people even make themselves sick with worry. Doubting often throws us off course and takes us in the wrong direction. A faithful person (one who is full of faith), on the other hand, is not distressed or thrown off course by the storms that come his/her way.
These are four ways that doubt can affect our prayers. So, how can we become people who “ask in faith, with no doubting”?1 Is it possible? The good news is Yes, it is possible! The bad news is that it will happen only through trials, “for the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”6 And that’s what we are talking about: a steadfast person—someone who does not doubt, someone who is full of faith.
We all begin our journey of faith loaded with doubts, with questions and reservations about everything. But faith is assurance. It stands beside doubt and slowly grinds it down—if we allow steadfastness to “have its full effect.”7 When we remain steadfast during a trial, our faith grows and our doubt shrinks; our reservations subside and our faith increases as we begin to grasp the immeasurable love God has for us. The more we pray, the more we will begin “to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”8 When we are secure in “the love of Christ,” even our prayers that seem unanswered do not cause us to doubt.
1James 1:6 2James 1:7 3James 1:8 4Proverbs 3:5 5Proverbs 3:6 6James 1:3 7James 1:4 8Ephesians 3:18-19