“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 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.” (James 1:5–8)
Right now we lack wisdom, so we go to the God who promised to give us wisdom. He gives generously to any of his children who ask him for it. But, as we ask, we must ask in faith without any doubting. We have not reason to doubt. God has made a promise. He has promised to give wisdom in generous amounts to anyone who asks. To doubt God’s promises is to call God a liar. The doubter is a double-minded man who is as unstable a foundation as the ocean waves. The doubter will not receive anything from the Lord. Why should he? He has looked at the One who is all-wise and all-good, the perfect Father of his children, and he has said, “You do not keep your word. You are not true. I cannot trust you.”
Yet, we all know that we doubt. What do we do then? Confess our doubt as sin, clinging to God’s promises for the one who does confess his sin (Psalm 32:1-2; 1 John 1:9). We ask for God to enable us to believe. “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9: 24b). We continually come to the Word of Christ, which is God’s means of producing faith in us (Romans 10:17). We come to the Word of Christ to gaze upon and meditate on the Christ of the Word. As 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says:
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
We repeatedly come to these means that God has given as often as needed. God will deliver. He will not only grant the wisdom, but he will grant the faith to receive that wisdom and the cleansing for our failing in the blood of Christ.
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