Week 21: Listening Keeps Us Stable
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 1:6-8
Have you ever been lost? I fondly recall a time when Amanda and I decided to hike a trail at a nearby state park. The whole venture was to take 45 minutes, and at the end of the trail we were supposed to come out at the park gift shop. Hours later we knew we were lost. Amanda’s first solution was to simply go back the way we came. That sounded great until we realized that the fall foliage covering the ground made the trail hard to distinguish. As the sun was setting we knew we had a problem.
Thankfully, the morning of our walk we called the gift shop to confirm hours. Since this was before smartphones, I prayed that number was still on my flip phone. The gift shop attendant was able to clearly guide us where we needed to be. The solution was to listen to someone wiser than us.
What if we’d decided to doubt the person on the other end of the phone? If we had said, “We know you say turn right, but it really looks like we should turn left” we would have spent the night in the forest. When James writes, “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea…he is a double-minded man…” he means that we are foolish to ask for help then ignore what God says. More than foolish, we are living like unstable people. If we want to make it through our trials, then we need to cling to the wisdom God provides us in those moments.
James points out that a good starting point when we are lost is to trust. Specifically, God wants us to trust his wisdom. “But let him ask in faith” means when we go to God, we believe he is trustworthy. Remember that James has been writing about trials and tribulations. We all have them, and we all need to go through them. They build character, so trying to get out of them is more hurtful than helpful. When we go through these trials our strength comes from God’s gift of wisdom. Wisdom is simply learning a skill or an ability that God gives us. That skill helps us make it through the difficulty. Just like having the skill of fishing would aid someone stranded on an island, having the gift of God’s wisdom enables you to endure your trial. Proverbs 1:5 says: “Let the wise hear and increase in knowledge, and the one who understands obtains guidance.” You obtain wisdom, and you use it. But if you doubt God’s truth, then you will go to other sources for help. There are times when people are confronted with the Word of God and they don’t like what they hear. They go to various other sources for their wisdom. It’s not that you can’t go to other sources, but it can become a problem when God has clearly given words of wisdom and you choose to doubt that truth. Do you trust what God has said, and act upon that life-giving word?
Second, James informs us that going to every source will make us as unstable as a wave. Have you ever tried to catch a wave in the sea? My children certainly try. When they’ve seen larger waves a few feet down they’d run in that direction. You can’t catch waves. To try means you will be all over the place. That is the way many people act when life is difficult. They go to all kinds of things, distractions, temptations, and bad counselors. Instead of looking first to see biblical principles, they run after waves. They never get any peace. Tossed to and fro they become unstable. There are biblical principles for all things in life. God’s word is sufficient. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).” Trust that truth and you will be more stable in life’s difficult moments.
Finally, the result of our doubt is that we become double-minded and God is offended. We are double-minded because like the church at Laodicea, we are neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:16). Instead, we can’t decide who we want to follow. Our indecision to trust God brings bitter, resentment, and an attitude that God does not either care nor exist. Therefore, we are offensive to the love and grace God gives us and God’s response to our unbelief is, “...that person should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” We simply cannot serve two masters. Either we will love the one and hate the other, or we will be committed to one (Matthew 6:24).
Christian Education rises and falls on the character of those who teach and lead. Our character first is developed through trials and tribulations. God’s answer is never to take it away, but to give us skill (wisdom) to get through it. Asking for help begins with accepting what is said, and acting upon that truth.
Discussion Questions:
We all struggle with trials. How can we fight our doubt of the God who brings them?
How is our refusal to trust God any different from our students refusal to listen to instruction?
What are the dangers of being double-minded?
