But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                                                                                                                   James 1:5-8 

It is a vital part of any prayer life…believing as we pray. In today’s passage, James doesn’t pull any punches as he instructs us on the importance of having faith and warning us against the power that doubt has in keeping us from enjoying an effective prayer life.

James echoes the words of Jesus as he tells us that, “we must ask in faith without any doubting” (Mark 11:24). Whether we are asking for wisdom or anything else from God, ridding ourselves of doubt can be difficult but necessary for us to maintain a healthy, Christian existence. James gives us four characteristics of a person who doubts.

1. One who doubts is often confused by various teachings and doctrines

“For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” That is the description of someone who prays yet doubts whether or not God will answer. This is not the only place in which we see the description of being “driven and tossed by the waves” used. Consider the following:

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine…

                                                                                                         Ephesians 4:14a 

In this passage, the “tossing” comes as a result of still being a child in the faith. These individuals have no idea what they believe or why. Instead, whenever someone comes along with a “wind of doctrine”, they wholeheartedly believe everything being espoused. So James is reminding us that this uncertainty in the faith can also come as a result of doubt, which is a byproduct of not growing in our faith. These individuals do not stand on the truth of scripture and thus are spiritually “tossed here and there.”

2. One who doubts should not expect to see answers to his/her prayers

This truth is difficult but one we need to carefully consider. When we do not pray in faith, “we should not expect that we will receive anything from the Lord.” Doesn’t God answer prayer? Of course! “Everyone who asks receives!” (Matthew 7:7-8) However, this asking must be accompanied by faith (Mark 11:24). To do otherwise would be to say that we really do not trust in the faithfulness of God.

People will let us down but God never will. He is benevolent and will give what is good (beneficial) to anyone who asks (Matthew 7:11). In fact, this benevolent characteristic of God is actually the basis for our treating others in the same way (Matthew 7:12). When we doubt, we are in effect, not trusting in the promises of God found in His Word.

3. One who doubts is double-minded

In addition to being doctrinally tossed around and not receiving in prayer, the one who doubts is described by James as being “double-minded.” This is an interesting word that actually means “two-souled.” Similar to the ocean analogy, it describes a person who just cannot make up his/her mind about what they believe, how they are going to pray, and what the expectations of the results will be.

I don’t mean to be harsh (and I have certainly seen this in my own life) but it is usually easy to pick up on this double-mindedness by listening to the way people speak. Our words usually give away what we really think and believe. It is one thing to say that we believe in the authority of scripture, it is another matter entirely to live like it.

This is why I believe it is so important for believers to surround themselves with, meditate on, and speak aloud, scriptural truth. This is the one way that I know to silence any form of doubting. But when we take this approach, we may have to confront some long standing beliefs that we have acquired over the years. And in order for doubt to be completely pushed aside, we might even have to rethink some of those positions. But the exercise is certainly worth it.

4. One who doubts is unstable in all of his/her ways

Finally, James describes the one who doubts as being “unstable in all of his/her ways.” If we were to talk about someone’s mental faculties and begin to describe them as unstable, this would cause most people (at least the one’s who care) to take action and to get the person some help. But when we discuss someone’s spiritual condition and see that doubt has taken up residence in a life, do we have that same sense of urgency?

If we do not know what we believe about God and if we continue to struggle in our prayer life as a result of doubt, we can consider ourselves spiritually unstable and in need of help. Again, that assistance comes from God Himself and clarity on the issue of prayer comes from reading, believing, and applying the truth of scripture to our lives.

To close, if you are having issues with doubt, especially in the area of prayer, let me suggest that you surround yourself with, meditate on, and speak aloud, the following truths about prayer:

Matthew 6:31-33                        Matthew 7:7-11                        Mark 11:22-24

Jesus has much to say and we should take Him at His word!