New Hope Notes
When Doubts Stand In The Way
Can You Hear Me Now?
Pastor Elwin Ahu
April 17, 2005 - W0516
Life can be tough and sometimes it does not seem to make any sense at all. When our wants and desires are not fulfilled, we tend to question why God doesn't answer our prayers. Situations do not always make sense to us. Logical explanations escape us and we find ourselves in a world without sense. Living a Christian life helps, but it too, has moments of senselessness. Believing in God and praying fervently does not always get you what you want. Even when you attend church regularly, engage in worship, do your devotions, join ministries, and do everything that is required with a belief that nothing is impossible with God, you do not always get the answers to your prayers. And while other families receive the answers to their prayers, your family may still be suffering.
How is it that you can experience a mountain of ‘spiritual high’ today where you can hear and feel the closeness of God and tomorrow you find yourself in a deep valley of shadow and doubt? It is in those valleys of doubt where you question if God cares about you or if He even exists. Without answers, there is the temptation to forget about God or push Him away. What do you do when those doubts stand in the way of getting back to the mountaintop?
Turn to the Bible for examples of leaders with strong character who also doubted when they found themselves in valleys of unanswered prayers. Abraham had his doubts when, at the age of 100, God told him Sarah would bear him a child. Moses also had doubts when God instructed him to lead 2 million people out of Egypt and then to part the Red Sea for them to cross through. And, then there was John the Baptist, his doubts and questions to God will be familiar to us as we look at his situation.
John, who was a cousin of Jesus, was anointed by God to proclaim Jesus’ arrival. He lived his entire life in service to God by baptizing thousands as he proclaimed the Good News of Christ; so everyone knew him as John, the Baptist. Thousands came to him to be baptized, including Jesus. Recognizing that Jesus was the Messiah, John said he was not worthy to baptize Jesus but Jesus explained that it must be done to fulfill God’s plan. John obeyed and, as he baptized Jesus, he heard a voice from heaven say,
"'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased'" (Matt. 3:17).As John the Baptist continued to preach, he turned to Herod, condemning him of his sexual relations with his brother’s wife. Outraged and bitter, Herod threw John in prison. John devoted his entire life to God yet while in prison, he did not receive an angel, as Peter had. He did not receive an earthquake to break down the prison walls, as Paul had. More disheartening to John was that Jesus never came to see him nor help to free him. John’s doubts about Jesus can be seen in Matthew 11.
"Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and said to him, ‘Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" (Matt. 11:2-3)
We, too, can find ourselves doubting when we are caught in our ‘prisons’ of financial distress, family strife or physical suffering. We may ask the same question John did: "Are you the expected one, or shall I look for someone else?" It’s important to understand and treat our symptoms of doubt in the proper way or it can turn into unbelief. We must first understand what constitutes doubt and unbelief.
- DOUBT IS AMBIVALENT FAITH. Ambivalent means being indecisive. It is NOT a lack of faith but rather a faith that has difficulty making choices or decisions.
It is critical to understand what to do when doubt stands in your path otherwise it can quickly turn into unbelief. Doubts occur when…what you believe to be true fails to match your experiences. It creates an uncomfortable feeling that you should address by identifying your beliefs.
"Jesus told them, ‘Go back to John and tell him about…the blind people I’ve healed, and the lame people now walking…and the cured lepers, and the deaf who hear, and the dead raised to life; and tell him about My preaching the Good News to the poor. Then give him this message, "Blessed are those who don’t doubt me.'" (Matt. 11:4-6 LB)
Jesus was saying this: "Don’t define my identity by what you expect me to do in your present circumstance. Instead, identify me by what I have already done"Jesus warns against this because if you define God's nature according to your expectations of Him, when He does not meet your expectations, you tend to look away from Him and towards someone or something else. When that happens, your focus will be on the pieces of your life rather than the entire picture God has planned. Don’t make the mistake of identifying God by the pieces of your life or you will simply use Him as a good-luck charm.
In 1 Samuel, the Israelites did just that. They believed if they simply carried the Ark into battle against the Philistines, they would win, but the Philistines defeated them and took the Ark. However, the Ark brought the Philistines nothing but sickness for seven months and so they returned it to the Israelites. In the book of 1 Samuel 7:2-3, we see what the Israelites did after the Ark was returned to them:
"The Ark remained in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time, all Israel mourned because it seemed that the Lord had abandoned them. Then Samuel said to all the people…'If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and…obey only the Lord; then He will rescue you from the Philistines.’" (1 Sam. 7:2-3 NLT)
We see here, instead of rejoicing over the return of the Ark, the Isrealites chose to mourn and lament about it. Because the Ark did not work for them as their good-luck charm, they set it aside for 20 years and turned to other gods. It wasn’t until 20 years after its return that someone realized it was not the Ark but the people's expectations that failed them…Samuel called everyone to repent.
Christians today do the same thing when they lack reverence for the Lord in their lives. It doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian, if you do not revere God in your life, you will have a tendency to replace Him with other gods. Reverence for God comes when we look at what He has already done for us, and not what we want Him to do now. Romans 8:31 reminds us of all that He has done for us,
"If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?"There is no reason to doubt God as He has already given us all that He has. Romans 8:38-39 also reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
When you come to those seasons of doubt in your life, identify what is true about God that causes you to love and believe in Him. Knowing the truth about God is only the first step, then you need to make a decision...
It’s your choice to believe in God. Some people refuse to believe in God no matter how much they know about Him or how real Christ is to them. For example, during the baptism of Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees refused to believe in Him although they saw His works and heard God proclaim Jesus as His beloved son. Some people simply do not want to believe. Belief is a will and choice that you make. Without that right choice, doubts will continue to surface. However, 1 Chronicles says that if you approach God with a willing heart, He will let you find Him:
"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9)
Trust your life in God’s hands. Even through the uncertainties of life, trust God. Without this trust, you will forever doubt Him. It's funny how we can trust a pilot that we know nothing about to safely deliver us to our destination yet some of us feel we cannot trust God until we know everything about Him.
When you trust God, things begin to happen that you never expected. Respond without worrying about the results, then you will see the goodness of the Lord. In times of doubt, don’t look for results; trust in who God is and make the choice to believe in Him. What follows next is the expression of your faith…
Faith is not found in results but rather in your response to doubtful situations in your life. During seasons of doubt, you tend to want God to show you everything before you believe, but God wants you to believe and then He will reveal things to you. As you turn away from your sin and embrace God as your forgiver and healer, you will feel His transforming grace.
Don’t measure your faith by the results of financial gain or a healed sickness. Measure it by your responses to life’s challenges. As in relationships, your best expression of love is that, despite the circumstances, you love them anyway.
"And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is detroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25-26)
God can get whatever result He wants but it is really the perfection of your faith that is found in your responses that He is looking for. It is an unshakable faith in the midst of struggle, such as Job’s, that pleases God. Ironically, doubt is a step that moves you towards that kind of faith because when doubt arises, if you identify the truth about God (and not act on your expectations), make a decision to believe in Him, and then respond affirmatively, your faith will be perfected. Then, you can rejoice in the perfection of your faith:
"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!" (Psalm 34:8 NLT)
DISCUSSION TOPICS
- Are there situations in your life where you tend to doubt God’s presence? How have you responded to them?
- What did you learn from your responses to Question 1, both positive and negative? Using one of your examples above, how could your doubts turn into unbelief?
- What are some examples of ‘other gods’ that we use to replace God, our Father?
- Has the object of your beliefs always been in line with God’s plan? What can you do to ensure that you maintain a reverence for God?
- Share about someone you know who has faced a doubtful situation with unshakable faith. What can you learn from them?
Much aloha and thanks to Debbie Chang who steps out in faith and responds to God's call as a volunteer Sermon Notes writer for the glory of our Lord.