IV. The habit of doubt is a hindrance to prayer.
"He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven of the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." This is strong language, but there is no doubt that the sin of unbelief, according to the divine standpoint, is the most hurtful of all spiritual conditions. It destroys the very contact of the soul with God as effectually as the cutting of that telegraph wire would prevent the transmission of a message. We have already seen that the word receive in this passage of James means take, and that it denotes, not so much God's anger with the unbelief, for He does "give liberally and upbraideth not," to all men, but it refers to the inability of the man to take what God gives. His doubt shuts up his whole spiritual sensibilities and capacities and renders him incapable of absorbing and appropriating the blessing which is offered him at the time. God holds us responsible for our doubt, but does not require us to produce, by our own will, the faith which brings us into contact with His love and blessing, for this is His impartation; but He does require us to prevent it from running out, as from leaking vessels, through all the openings of our miserable doubts. There is one thing that we can all do; we can refuse to doubt; we can refuse to entertain the questioning and fear, the morbid apprehension and subtle Satanic insinuation; and if we do this, God will do the rest and enable us to stand fast in faith, and press forward to the fulness of His blessing.
This is where the enemy concentrates his strongest attacks, waiting when the hour of trial comes, and our prayer seems to be refused and delayed, and hurling all his shafts of fire and evil suggestion into our trembling hearts to try to drive us from our confidence and get us to betray our own cause by consenting to his wicked questionings. Therefore Christ has said, "Whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, he shall have whatsoever he saith." So "Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving glory to God." So we are to hold fast the faith we have professed without wavering, for, "He is faithful that promised." "Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul hath no pleasure in him." God waits to give His blessing to the solders who stand their ground, and who, when the blessing comes, are there to claim it.
But, "Alas!" perhaps you say, "I have already doubted, and forfeited my blessing. Is it then too late to receive the answer?" No, if you will repent of your doubt as you would of any other sin, and immediately bring forth fruits meet for repentance by refusing from henceforth and for evermore to be betrayed into the same sin. Often we shall find that such a fall becomes the occasion of thoroughly convincing us of the sin of doubting, and curing us of it forever.
Beloved, have you been trifling with God in this matter of prayer and defrauding yourself of the blessings for which you have already suffered so much? May the Lord set your face this day like a flint, and fix your feet on the rock and stay your soul upon God!- A.B. Simpson, The Life of Prayer, chapter 5, section IV
I've linked to various versions of A.B. Simpson's The Life of Prayer HERE