January 7 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 7—James 1:4–8

⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Devotional:

In order to respond rightly so as to receive the spiritual profit that God can give through trials, what we need above all is wisdom. And so God calls us to seek wisdom from him by praying for it. In other words, the way we walk by faith is by exercising faith, and the way we exercise faith is by praying.

But in verses 6–8, God gravely warns, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

God isn’t fooled if you merely go through external religious motions. You might fool everyone else, but God won’t answer "doubting" prayers — "the one who doubts … must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord…" Don’t misunderstand what "doubting" means here. It does not mean that you occasionally wonder if God is real or if his Word is true or if his promises are sure or if he is wise enough to effect them in your life or if you are a genuine believer, etc. Satan doggedly whispers accusations like those in the ears of genuine believers. "One who doubts," however, is someone who honors God with his lips while in reality his heart is far away (Matt. 15:8). It’s someone who professes faith in Christ while in actuality he is an unbeliever. Such a person "is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind … he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." He is "unstable" because he is "double-minded," (literally "two-souled," or, as it could be put, he is "two-faced with God").

This is what "doubt" means here, being two-faced with God. It’s the opposite of authentic faith. The doubter is the double-minded person who’s trying to live for two worlds at once—both this present evil age which is passing away and the age to come which God has already launched in the Kingdom of Christ. The double-minded person wants to live for the world but still reap the benefits of the Kingdom of God. God sees right through such hypocrisy and he refuses to bless it. If you are pursuing such rival ambitions, then you will be frustrated in dealing with trials. They will overwhelm you "like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." You literally don’t have a prayer ("that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord," v. 7)—except the prayer of repentance!

But if you do "ask in faith, with no doubting" (v. 6)—if you are a sinner who is clinging to the blood and righteousness of Christ and is seeking to follow and serve Christ—then "God, who gives generously to all without reproach" will answer your prayer (v. 5). Repent of worldliness. Seek God in sincerity. Ask him to enable you to love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and he will provide everything you need.

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.