July 30, 2017
When
Faith Wavers
James 1:5-8
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.If we believe that God is who He says He is
and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our
prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord “hoping” He will
hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just not sure He will. With this
kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him.
One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to
see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the
Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees
past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible
hand is already at work on our behalf--arranging situations to accomplish His
will, opening hearts and preparing us to receive what He wants to give.
Another cause for uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t
know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response. All too often our
prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to
intervene according to our timetable or anticipated method, we start to doubt.
But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways
gives us stability as we wait for His answer.
To
overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways.
Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He
goes about it. Examine your past from a biblical perspective--faith will grow
as you see the unexpected ways He answered your prayers.