Answer: When we ask for wisdom, we must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That kind of man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. That kind of man is double-minded, unstable in all he does, (verses 6 and 7).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
The prayer offered in trust (or confidence) to God through Christ comes from faith in God and in Christ. To doubt that the prayer will be answered is to demonstrate that one's faith in God and in Christ is, as the King James Version translates this, "a wavering faith."
"Waver" comes from the Greek word diakrino, and it literally means "judge between." But in the Hellenistic Greek of the New Testament, it came to mean "To be divided in one's mind, to hesitate, doubt." Comparing this kind of a person to the waves of the sea is very appropriate. The waves of the sea are constantly "wavering" and there is no stability in or on them. A person like this does not stand firm on the promise of God but moves restlessly like a wave of the sea. If we cannot pray to our Father in heaven with a faith that firmly believes that He will answer our prayers, then how stable is our faith in our Father?
Matthew 21:21-22: "Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the Truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also 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.'"
Mark 11:24: [Jesus said,] "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
An unstable (wavering) person cannot pray because he is not clear minded and lacks self-control:
1 Peter 4:7: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."
