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6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. ~ James 1:6-8
Today, we come back to our study of the testing of our faith through the trials that come into our lives. As we have considered, when we are in the midst of a trial, we most desperately need the wisdom of God. Through the trial, we ask for His wisdom, and when He gives us His wisdom, we grow in our faith, we grow in our heart's ability to see Him. And, as we see in today's text, there is a condition to consider when we are asking God for His wisdom.
In v.6 of today's passage we read, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
When we go through trials that God either allows or causes, we can rest assured that the presence of the trial is God's vote of confidence to our faith. You see, He wouldn't allow the trial to come if He didn't think our faith was strong enough to endure the trial. This is why He reminds us to not be double-minded. To be double-minded is to be unstable in our attempt to trust Him. This does not mean that when we doubt and subsequently question God that we do not trust Him. God knows that the questions created by our doubting is all a part of the process of the development of our faith. We must not come before God defying Him, telling Him He would be better off to do what we want than what He has chosen for us. We can not expect to receive from God the relief from our suffering until we trust God.
We must understand that the civil war within us between belief and unbelief will always rage while we are on this earth. But, we must not be totally defined by our unbelief. And, when we come, not like the doubter who is blown and tossed by the wind, we will ask for God's wisdom to understand His will through the trial that we are enduring. If we have NO faith, we can expect nothing from God in the midst of our trial. He is not saying that if we have struggling faith we will not receive anything from Him. There is no such thing as perfect faith this side of heaven.
In v.7 of today's text we read, "That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
If we do not have any faith, we will receive nothing from God because, as we learn in Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Faith, in the God of the Bible, even little faith, is the channel by which God's blessings come to us. And, if we have no faith, we are in sin. Paul tells us in Romans 14:23, "Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." So all activity that does not come from faith is sinful. If we are not acting out of what we believe, then, what we are doing is unacceptable to God, even though it may be highly applauded by everyone around us.
In v.8 of today's text we read, "Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
The Greek word used in v.8 for "double-minded" is "dipsuchos" which means a two-souled person. This word appears only in the book of James. Most Bible scholars believe James coined this word. This does not mean we have perfect faith. In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus asked a man whose son needed healing, "Do you believe?" The man responded by saying, "Yes, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." This man honestly answered by revealing the civil war within. And, this man received from the Lord, even though he was struggling to believe.
The adjective "unstable" at the end of v.8 is a Greek word which means "to not establish" or "to not set in order." This word is found 5 times in the New Testament. It is descriptive of a drunken man, unsteady, staggering, and falling down. This is not descriptive of the one who is growing in his heart's ability to see God. This word describes the person who believes not at all.
Suffering and pain makes no sense to those who know not God. It only makes sense to those who cry out to God for the ability to, to some degree, believe in Him. This is how the process works. We encounter a trial and it calls us to believe in God. And, when we believe in Him, we cry out to Him. And, when we cry out to Him for help, even though our faith is struggling, He joyously grants to us His perspective on our lives. As a result, we grow in our faith in Him, we grow in His wisdom, and we grow in our love for Him and we grow in our usefulness to Him.
