“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, NASB95)

The relationship between faith and doubt has long been a fascination of mine. I flatly reject the whole notion of faith being equal to belief, in fact the longer I live the more repugnant the very idea of equality between faith and belief becomes. I know that those who hold to such a position are well-intentioned, yet I cannot escape the fact that faith equaling belief is violence to the Christian ideal and robs belief in Jesus Christ of any connection to reality.

Consider the encouragement at hand. I am perpetually short on wisdom, so I may choose to follow the instruction given to me by James and ask God to generously provide me with wisdom. Faith is required; in fact faith without doubt is required. How can I as a human being call upon a God whom I cannot see or touch or speak to face to face and ask this “invisible” God for the intangible commodity of wisdom and be completely without doubt so I may receive that which I ask for? For rational beings, I think this practically impossible. Here I am on my knees begging God and in order to have any reasonable expectation of an answer the thought, “Why am I speaking to the ceiling?” must never enter my brain. Sometimes that very thought does enter my brain, or perhaps my heart is conflicted and I am asking of God as a result of sheer will and not because I feel right about it. Is there any hope for me?

Yes, I believe there is! Faith is not equal to belief. Faith, in my opinion has never equaled belief. Faith is the appropriate response to God’s revelation of himself. God has revealed himself as generous. God has revealed himself as wise. God has revealed himself as the discerner of the thoughts and intents of my heart. God has revealed himself as seeking the best for this creation we refer to as “human.” If all these things are true then I may boldly approach this God and confidently ask him for wisdom knowing I cannot “hide” my unbelief from him. Without a doubt! (For more on this see 1 John 3.21-22)

Therefore the “for that man ought not to expect…” warning is a clear statement of logical progression. If I think God is revealed as pernicious or inconsistent or unwise, how can I come to him and expect anything at all? Make sense?! James is telling his readers that the character of God is not in question, so we who know him may come to God and receive wisdom from the one who created it in the first place. There is no other true source.

If I chose to reject outright God’s revelation of himself, then I am “cast to the wind and waves” as is the case in our culture today. We have lost God and therefore have lost firm footing regarding anything. Our character is constantly changing and our thoughts are in continual flux and we receive nothing from God. We substitute panic over, or desire for, this or the other thing in exchange for the substantial and sustaining wisdom from God.

May we always be confident in who God is, so we may receive what only God can give!