Monday, January 10: James 1:5-8

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Does God hear my hear prayers even if I doubt His existence?

Have you ever been to the beach on a windy day? Adding wind to a beach day dramatically changes everything: it knocks off your hat, blows your things away, and changes both the direction and intensity of the waves. Many times, our doubting God’s existence is driven by the circumstances we face or the uncertainty we feel. These verses remind us that feelings of doubt and difficult circumstances come in waves. One day, we may face something that causes us to question if there is a God, but another day, we feel like His presence is so obvious. When we pray according to our circumstances, we make God like an imaginary friend—He is there when we want Him to be, but He is gone when we don’t feel His presence. Yet the reality is that God does not change in His presence or His character.

We can have confidence when feeling weary in our faith that God has not gone far from us. Where other religions say you need to make your way to God, the Bible tells us God has made His way to us through His Son and lives in each follower of Christ through His Holy Spirit. This changes everything! We have God inside of us when we pray; we are free to pray with faith and we don’t have to pray based off our feelings because the hope we hold is unchanging. If you feel discouraged today or doubt God’s presence in your life, remember that you are praying to the God who hears. Lean on His unchanging promises.

• –How have you let your circumstances inform your view of God? How does it make you feel to know God is unchanging, even when you are unsure about Him?
• -What would it look like to pray in faith like this passage encourages? Have you ever prayed at like this before?
• -Pray and ask God to help you in your moments of doubt. Be honest with Him about the things that cause you to doubt Him.