James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed
James talks about how to live your faith. Sometimes we contrast faith and fear. We see shirts that say, “Faith not Fear.” I don’t object to that. I understand. However, have you ever been in a situation where you were exercising faith but were a little nervous about it. About a month ago my wife and I were on a train in the mountains of Alaska. It took us from sea level to above timberline in less than twenty miles of back-and-forth switchbacks and high mountain grades. Some places were very exposed. Quite frankly, I was very uncomfortable. There was one point when the train actually stopped with some kind of problem. The conductor got off, went under our car, banged around on something, and got back in. I was nervous to state it mildly.
So, was I exercising faith? Well, I will say that I was. Long before I went on that trip, I had researched and watched videos from other people who had been on this trip. I knew it was exposed and that I would be uncomfortable. I knew about the high trestles and cliffs, but I determined that I could trust the train and the people conducting it. So, I made a decision. Ultimately, faith is a decision, not a feeling. So, yes, “faith not fear,” but even better is “faith before feeling.” Ultimately faith is a decision. You ask, “Is this of God?” and “Is God reliable?” God is reliable. I hope you have good feelings, but feelings really are the caboose, not the engine. Our faith is a decision that rests upon God’s faithfulness.
For instance, speaking of that fact that we should ask God for what we need, particularly wisdom in times of trial, James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Is that talking about a feeling or a focus? It continues, “For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” When you waver, you are as stable as water that is wishy-washy, going up and down.
It finishes, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” It does not say that a double-feeling man is unstable in all his ways; it is a double-minded man. So, our faith is a decision. In other words, if I say, “Lord, I need wisdom. Please give it to me,” and then go seek wisdom from YouTube, the experts, Hollywood, or whatever without regard to God, then that is not faith; it is a wavering faith. Feelings are important, but feelings follow the decision. Faith before feeling.
Let me give you two reasons for this. First, God is a giver. I can rely upon God. Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” God is a giver. Verse 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness [wavering or wishy-washiness], neither shadow of turning.”
In other words, God isn’t wavering, so my faith ought not be. Again, I’m not talking about feelings. God’s provision is not a feeling; it is a reality. So, my faith should be based on God’s faithfulness. God is a giver and God is good. Verse 13 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” God is good. His heart for you is nothing but good. In I Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not allow you “to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
So, there are two premises upon which my faith rests: God is a giver and God is good. My faith rests on God’s faithfulness, not on my feelings. I can feel one way but choose to do another. When I fly to Phoenix, someone may say, “I don’t trust this plane.” Yes, they do. Trust is the decision you make, the act you take when you sit down in Seat L23. That is a decision. Feeling is something I hope you can have, but it follows; it doesn’t lead. Faith not fear is okay, but faith before feeling is better. Why? Because our faith rests on God’s faithfulness.