When life gets messy, it’s natural to want quick relief and fix it yourself. Stress at work, conflict at home, pressure in your finances. Just fix it! But James, the half-brother of Jesus, points us in a different direction: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver.” (James 1:5–6 NLT)

The phrase, “Ask God for wisdom” isn’t a suggestion, it’s a directive based on the character and ability of God. He’s not irritated when you come to Him again and again. The scripture also says he’s generous. He actually likes helping you know what to do. But for it all to work, you have to trust Him fully, without wavering. Wavering weakens your walk, your prayers, and the weight of your words.

Think of Peter on the water. For a few steps, his eyes were locked on Jesus and he did the impossible. But the moment he shifted his focus to the storm, fear took over and he began to sink. The storm was real, but so was the Savior. Wavering made the difference.

We waver when we pray for direction but secretly hold on to our backup plan.

We waver when we ask God to guide us but only follow through if His answer fits our preference.

We waver when we say we trust Him, but our faith is split between God’s promise and our control.

James reminds us that divided loyalty makes us unstable, “like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind.” Stability comes when we plant our faith in God alone. That’s when wisdom shows up and answers to prayers become clear. That’s when your faith becomes stable and your words have weight to the people around you.

The good news is that stability isn’t about perfection, it’s about direction. God isn’t waiting for you to have it all figured out before He gives you wisdom. He’s just waiting for you to stop wavering. To fully lean into Him, and to believe that He is enough.