No Doubting

In James 1:5-8, James tells us we can pray for wisdom and God will give it. Then he goes on to talk about asking in faith and not doubting. "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."

Does that apply to all my prayers, not just those for wisdom? No doubting is hard. I hear the diagnosis from the doctor; my spouse has left; the job has been terminated; my child is belligerent; there is trouble on the horizon. Will God come through? Will He even hear me? What if He doesn't respond the way I want?

Even the disciples were doubting in the early days. In Acts 12 we read the story of James being killed and Paul imprisoned "but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." So an angel came and got Paul out of prison without a guard even waking up. When Paul went to the place where the disciples were and Rhoda told them Paul was at the door, they said to her "You are out of your mind." She couldn't convince them and Peter kept on knocking and finally...finally they open the door and "they were amazed."

How like that am I? I pray for something but don't really expect God to do anything, not really. And when He does do something, I am amazed. Sounds like doubting to me. Building faith is not easy. I MUST go through things that I can not control if I am going to learn to have faith in God. He is ALWAYS in control. I have to learn that He sees things I do not see. He sees outcomes I can not even imagine. He has a plan that I might not understand.

The disciples had been witnesses to Jesus' resurrection from the dead! And then they doubted God could get Peter out of prison? I am so thankful that God gives me examples of real people with real problems and real doubts so that I can know I'm not so different from them. And then I can believe He will act on my behalf as well.