Charles Spurgeon Commentary James 1:6

"But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed." — James 1:6 (ASV)

For he that wavereth- (James 1:6):

The man who does not know whether prayer will succeed or not.

Is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

You can never tell what will become of the wave; it goes just where it is driven. There are many people who can be good, in a certain way, if they are in good company, but they can be just as bad if the wind blows from another direction.

But if we have true faith in God, and true faith in prayer, we shall not be like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

But let him ask in faith,

A man who has no wisdom can have faith; let him use his faith to get wisdom with it: Let him ask in faith.

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.

Now on the shore, now sinking back, now driving fearlessly ahead, then sinking down. This is not the kind of man that prevails with God in prayer.

It is not the kind of faith we ought to have in God—a faith that is very brilliant on the Sunday and very dull on the Monday: a faith that is triumphant after a sermon but which seems to be defeated when we get into actual trouble.