James instructed his readers who lacked wisdom to ask the Lord for it (James 1:5). The word of God claims fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom has to do with acting in the correct manner or according to the will of God. In other words, it has to do with acting like God or imaging God. In a sense all believers lack wisdom, so James’ words aren’t simply for the naïve believer. His instruction is for the experienced believer as well, and the context in which James places his instruction is particularly important, because his words come during a time of trouble when one’s faith would be proved (James 1:4).
James also said that God gives wisdom liberally in such a context. In other words, it is the Lord’s will that his disciples would act honorably and prudently during their time of trial and, therefore, it wouldn’t be logical for the Lord to hold wisdom back. Neither would he be of a mind to chastise or belittle the believer for not having wisdom in the first place. Thus, the believer could expect his prayer to be answered in accordance with his desire to be fully equipped in his Lord’s service (James 1:4-5). Therefore, James also warns his brethren that they must ask in faith, believing the Lord is ready to give them what they ask (James 1:6). This is an imperative responsibility on their part, because to doubt the Lord would give him wisdom reflects terribly on the integrity of Jesus. To doubt would mean the believer thought his Lord would put his beloved disciple in a dangerous situation without equipping him for the task he was expected to carry out (cp. Matthew 25:24-25).
The picture I receive here is the storm that arose on the Sea of Galilee that tossed the disciples boat to and fro with the great waves of the lake (Luke 8:22-23). The disciples were beside themselves, and remember, at least some were experienced fishermen who sailed the lake as part of their business. Nevertheless, in the midst of trouble, they doubted the goodness of the Lord, i.e. his readiness to aid them is such distress (Mark 4:38; cp. Luke 8:24). In this situation the Lord had commanded his disciples to sail to the other side of the lake (Luke 8:22; Mark 4:35). They were doing what he had commanded, but in the face of the danger that developed all around them, they doubted the Lord was willing to save them. Clearly, they lacked wisdom and didn’t understand what the Lord was doing. Therefore, the Lord arose up and calmed the waves, taking away the danger that confronted them, trying their faith, as it were, and they were absolutely astonished with what the Lord had done (Luke 8:25; Mark 4:41).
James’ words in verse-6 are terribly abused by the faith preachers of our modern era. They conclude that to doubt anything would incur the wrath or at least the indifference of the Lord. The responsibility of ‘unanswered’ prayer,[1] according to the faith preachers of our day, is the fault of the believer who is weak in faith. Why would the Lord, through Paul, command believers to receive those who are weak in faith (Romans 14:1), if the Lord, himself, doesn’t receive them? Being weak in faith is not the same as doubting the Lord’s integrity. Either the Lord is good, or he is not. If he is not good, why be his disciple? Why be a believer in the first place, if the Lord isn’t good? This is the point James seems to be making in this verse. Therefore, a doubter in this context doesn’t believe in the goodness of Christ, so, he shouldn’t expect to receive anything from God, if he doesn’t believe God is good (James 1:7).
James claimed that “a double minded person is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Elijah said pretty much the same thing in 2Kings 18:21, telling Israel that they should serve the LORD, if he be God, or Baal, if he is God, but the people didn’t reply. James may also have had Jesus’ words in mind when he said: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). In Luke’s Gospel narrative Jesus gave us the parable of the Rich Man and His Dishonest Manager (Luke 16:1-13).[2] Long-story-short, mammon represents one’s life, in terms of its longevity. We are able to use our lives for ourselves or for the Lord, for unrighteousness or for righteousness.
In the words of Jesus, then, we cannot serve ourselves and our interests and that of Jesus. Do we believe the Lord will take care of us, if we honor him by living for him, or do we doubt his goodness by believing we need to care for our own needs? We need to choose, but “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). If a man is not devoted to the Lord, he may oscillate between two decisions (cp 2Kings 18:21) for awhile, but eventually he will serve himself. Therefore, James warns the believer to ask for wisdom, but don’t doubt the integrity of the Lord to supply that need or he will receive nothing.
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[1] Unanswered prayer in this context always means the one who prayed didn’t get what he desired. Answered prayer means he who prayed received what he asked for. Thus, the one who is weak in faith or in understanding God’s word is led to believe by modern charlatans that Christ is displeased with him.
[2] See an earlier study of mine in the Gospel of Luke: What Does Jesus Mean by Mammon?
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