A Shout-Out for Doubt

 

A Shout-Out for Doubt

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.   James 1:5-8

 

Getting Ready

 

Are you ready for Compassion International’s Global Advocates Conference?  Are you all prayed up?  Have you asked the Lord for wisdom for the types of things you might encounter?  Do you struggle with doubt?  Then please read on.

 

Light and Perfection

 

In Old Testament times, if you lacked wisdom you went to the high priest who consulted the Urim and the Thummim which adorned his breastplate and was positioned over his heart.  To this day nobody knows how they worked, but one thing we do know: when translated, these two words mean ‘light and perfection.’  We also may conclude that they offered a prophetic glimpse, a picture if you will, of the true Light and Perfection to come in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Light of the world and the Perfect One that Colossians 2:3 proclaims…

 

“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

 

3 Way Bulbs

 

When we ask of God, there are three ways we might receive His perfect light: through His people, through His Word, and through the heart.  The first two are understood by most believers, as we are likely familiar with the truths established in Proverbs 11:14 and Psalm 119:105 + 130…

 

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety…Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path…The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

 

But what about the heart?  Christians know what is right and what is wrong; period.  It can honestly be said, “Do what you know and you will know what to do.”  How can this be true?  It is true because God declared it in Jeremiah 31:33 and Colossians 3:15 and it is essentially the very difference between instinct and in-Christ.

 

I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts… 

 

Doubt

 

“My problem,” you might say, “is not the ‘asking’ part, but the doubting part.  God won’t hear me because of my lack of faith.”

 

That is not what James is talking about.   Consider Proverbs 11:3…

 

The integrity of the upright will guide (us)…

 

I discovered something extremely interesting; the word ‘integrity’ here comes from the same root word (Tummah) where we get the word Thummim (remember the Urim and the Thummim?).  Here it means a kind of perfection that comes from a singular focus on the Lord; a single-mindedness that’s brings us into one accord with the Father and has little or nothing to do with doubting that God will bring something to pass.

 

In other words, when we ask God for wisdom, He will provide it liberally, provided that ‘in faith’ we will do what He says.  A ‘double-minded’ person asks God for an answer so he can then make his own choice, while a single-minded person (a person of integrity) is committed to doing whatever God tells him to do.  God knows the heart and if He knows you are not going to do what He says, He probably won’t give you an answer to your inquiry.  This is the kind of doubt that leads to double-mindedness James was talking about and has less to do with faith and a whole lot to do with obedience.

 

If the Christian is determined to obey, he will receive godly wisdom liberally.

 

One Passion–One Purpose–One Voice

 

Have you visited the Compassion Global Advocates Conference Blog yet?   Click on it.