Prayer and doubt
How can I be confident that God will answer my prayers, considering James 1:6-7? Every day in my life I am struggling with sin and temptation (especially sins of doubt). I realize that I cannot win this spiritual battle on my own, and that I need God’s power to resist these temptations. But because I am struggling with the sin of doubt, James 1:6-7 makes it seem to me that God is not answering my prayers. I am sorry for my sins and I would really love a God of grace to forgive me, but for some reason there is something in me that doubts the whole Bible even to be true. Considering James 1:6-7, will God answer my prayers? Will he help me fight temptation? Am I misinterpreting this passage? Thanks.
To begin with, a God of grace has forgiven you (2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:18-19; 1 John 2:2). Your words tell me that you recognize the forgiveness of sins you possess through faith in Jesus Christ.
Your words also lead me to think of the man who approached Jesus one day and said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). That man spoke for you and me and Christians in general. We praise God the Holy Spirit for connecting us to Jesus Christ in saving faith, but we also recognize that there is always room for growth in our faith. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel in word and sacrament to nurture and strengthen our faith.
In James 1:6-7 the inspired writer is addressing the problem of praying but doubting: doubting that God will hear prayers and answer them. The doubts you have expressed are connected to biblical content: is the whole Bible true? The Bible answers that question.
Jesus said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The Lord did not qualify that statement by saying that some or most of God’s word is truth; he said all of God’s word is truth. The Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to underscore that statement: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
God desires to strengthen the faith he has created in you (Isaiah 42:3). He wants you to pray to him, and he has promised to hear and answer (Psalm 50:15). He has armed you to fight temptations (Ephesians 6:10-17).
So, keep using the means by which the Holy Spirit can strengthen your faith—the Bible and the Lord’s Supper. Remember your baptism by which God made you his own child. Speak to God regularly in prayer, knowing and believing that he will hear and answer in the best way and at the best time. God bless you.