Why must we believe and not doubt (James 1:6)?

The book of James teaches that God generously gives wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). But when people ask God for wisdom, they “must believe and not doubt” that He hears, cares, and is able to answer them (James 1:6). Praying with doubt shows a lack of trust and dishonors God. Instead, those who pray for wisdom should approach God confidently, trusting Him to keep His word and answer in His time. God’s response will be according to His character.

People can express doubt in different ways when they pray. Although people may not say it out loud, they sometimes approach God, thinking, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask,” or “What have I got to lose?” This kind of doubt reflects poorly on God, questioning His willingness and power to answer. Hebrews 11:6 talks about the importance of faith when approaching God: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

The Gospel of Mark includes a story of a man who experienced the kind of doubt James warns about. When the man approached Jesus for help with his son, who was influenced by a demon, he said, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22–24). The father’s waffling illustrates how doubt can creep into even sincere requests for help, as people sometimes struggle with their own uncertainties and fears, just as James warns.

Believing without doubting separates faithful prayer from unworthy approaches to God. Praying in a doubtful way is like making a wish when blowing out candles on a birthday cake or tossing pennies into a fountain. But prayer isn’t simply an emotional wish for a good outcome based on randomness, fate, or impersonal forces—it’s grounded in a personal relationship with God.

James paints a clear picture of the danger of doubting in prayer. He compares it to a wind-driven sea: “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). The instability James describes comes not from uncertainty about how God will answer, but from failing to trust Him regardless of the answer He gives. A person whose trust wavers “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:7–8).

Jesus also taught about praying with faith and without doubt. He said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:21–22). These words of Jesus echo what James teaches: effective prayer requires confident trust in God’s power, not a hesitant or half-hearted faith.

Prayer isn’t wishful thinking. Instead, prayer is built on a trusting relationship. First John 5:14 reads, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Faithful confidence in prayer doesn’t guarantee a “yes” answer, but God’s character offers assurance that He always listens and cares.