James opened his letter by declaring that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness that lacks nothing. He continues this thought by telling us where to go for wisdom so that we can grow into steadfastness:
“(But) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jam 1:5).
Interestingly, the Greek manuscript has the word “But” to begin verse 5, whereas the English does not. This continues the thought in verse 4 that steadfastness should result in “lacking nothing.” It’s implication is that the testing of our faith is no easy matter. It is not something we can endure alone.
We must ask God to intervene in our tests of faith!
This sounds easy enough. Poof, ask God like ordering food at a restaurant, and it will be delivered to us. But wait – we find that there is another “but” connected to this thought:
“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” (Jam 1:6).
Here, the rubber of faith meets the road of doubt. When serious healing is desperately needed, it is more like the rubber meets glare ice. And it is easy for us to start slipping, spinning, and burying the nose of our vehicle – our bodies – in a metaphorical snow drift of doubt.
So if my health is waning and I ask God in faith to heal me, and then I become very slow to heal, doubt begins to rise and I find myself tossed on a stormy ocean in a canoe. James says that at this point I lack wisdom. I must reassert my faith and reaffirm that doubt will get me nowhere.
As I said in the last blog, God will heal us, whether here on earth, or most assuredly in heaven! This is important to remember if James sounds a bit judgmental about our faith or lack of it. This is not the last time we will encounter this tendency of James.
But wisdom comes from God through the Holy Spirit. If we doubt God’s rate of progress, we need only to accept God’s plan and timing, and like a good athlete, start working harder to correct the deficiency of doubt. What follows, though, sounds insensitively harsh:
“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” (Jam 1:7-8).
This is one of the moments when we stand at the fork in the road leading either to unity with God or disunity from God. There is nothing shameful in arriving at the fork in the road – we do it all the time, every day. What matters is recognizing the fork and choosing the right path. I think James would agree with this parallel. When James seems harsh in this book, it is not to be judgmental. It is to acknowledge that faith is either very serious or non-existent, and that James didn’t make this up.
God did, because God knows the evil one better than anyone!
Remember, God gives generously without reproach, but it is we who choose the slippery pavement and stormy sea.
Be encouraged!