Devotional: The Doubter

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask Him and He will gladly tell you.  He will not resent you’re asking.  But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind s as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  They can’t make up their minds.  They waver back and forth in everything they do.                                       James 1:5-8

 

Hello blog readers!  Thanks for your patience in this break as my group is doing a book study with prepared questions I haven’t been posting.  I will start up again in the fall. 

 

The book we are reading is Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers which gives a fictional account of the five women mentioned in the lineage of Christ.  Their story is based on passages of scripture and is an insightful way to have the culture and lives of these women come alive to the reader.  After each story is some study questions to reflect further and look deeper in to the biblical account of these passages.

 

After reading about Rahab, the prostitute that hid the Israeli spies from the kind of Jericho, I completed the study of this passage in James about doubting.  Rahab showed by her actions that she did not doubt as she risked her own safety by hiding these men from the soldiers that knew they had been there and were seeking after them.  Beyond that she lied to protect them, knowing that if the spies were caught she would be found guilty as well.

 

There was an army looming outside the city walls.   Unlike the rest of the city, she put a faith in an unknown God instead of the brick and mortar around her which no other people had been able to conquer.  She shows by her actions that her faith was in the Lord.

 

So what is the army surrounding your life?  What threat is coming up against you?  Will you like Rahab step out in faith?  Or do you struggle with doubt.  Let us look more into James and see what God says.

 

Whatever enemy is approaching, God has a way of escape.  He wants you to ask and the Word says He will gladly tell you what to do.  It is his pleasure and joy to reveal to His children what is best.  How often do we go to God with an attitude of thinking that He is annoyed with us and doesn’t really want to help.  This summer a friend of mine was having some anxiety about scheduling a social event for her homeowners association.  She had the great idea of using an ice cream truck to come instead of purchasing ingredients for the event.  Because it was not something the association had done before, she got emails from other members of the board critiquing her idea.  My friend has a wonderful heart and was upset that people would be angry about something so fun…when sharing this with me I sensed her anxiety and asked her if she had prayed about it.  Her response was that she hadn’t; that she usually prays for her family or big things but that this wasn’t something she’d normally bring to God.  Rest assured that God wants all things to come to Him when wisdom is needed.

 

Yet this passage in James also has a warning that those who ask must ask with expectancy.  Those who don’t really believe God will answer don’t hear from Him.  When I first read this I was a little sad because I am constantly in places where I doubt God.  Is that why I don’t hear from Him?  What about new believers that are taking baby steps in their trust of the Lord?  Does that mean He never answers them until they grow?  But they can’t grow until they hear from Him?  God reminded me about His promise in Hebrews 12:2, that He is the author and perfector of our faith.  That means He begins our faith and is in charge of developing it.  He doesn’t save us to leave us with the old life but instead has and carries out a plan of changing us to be more like His Son. 

 

God also lead me to Matthew 14:22-33.  Stop and take a moment to read it and then look for what Jesus does and what the disciples feel/act like.

 

Here is what I observe in this passage. 

1.        Jesus send them into a situation

2.       They begin to fear

3.       Jesus comes and encourages them in the fourth watch

4.       Peter acts in faith

5.       Peter refocuses on a fear and takes his eyes off Jesus

6.       In his doubt he begins to sink

7.       Peter cries out to God who immediately rescues him

8.       Jesus asks “Why do you doubt”

9.       The disciples see Jesus for who he is and they worship Him

 

Could this be an example of a way that Jesus deals with the doubt in us?  Much before He talks about doubt He does other things.  It begins with a situation where they will experience fear and doubt.  Maybe that is where you are now, in the boat with no idea where Jesus is and when He will come.  You experience fear.  It says He finally arrives in the fourth watch of the night which is roughly 3 am…He had sent them out in the evening, right after performing the miracle of feeding 5,000 with fish and loaves.  Like us, how quickly they doubt when Jesus had just done something amazing!  The presence of Jesus brings a renewed hope and Peter steps out of the boat.  We are rooting for Peter here because when we are afraid and we finally draw into His presence things just look better.  We can feel the water under our feet turn solid and we can walk ahead.  But then, like we always do he loses his focus and seeing the wind and not the One who controls it.  He doubts and begins to sink.  Is that where you are, having seen miracles and spent time with Jesus but you refocus again on what make you cry out in the first place and start the downward accent into the deep?  God is so good.  He doesn’t leave us to drown to “weed out” those who don’t trust Him because Peter is every one of us.  Instead He responds to our cries.  When?  Immediately this time, not late into the dawn hours.  Only then, when we are safe and dry on the boat does He address our doubt.  He makes a right assessment of those of little faith.  Don’t you see?  He knows your faith is small!  He leads you were you will be scared so He can comfort you and save you?  Ultimately His kindness brings worship for it reveals who He really is—a great Savior.

 

So when you are alone and your fears are steadily coming upon you, ask God for wisdom and expect an answer.  If you doubt, confess that and see yourself in the boat, knowing that He can take that away for the joy of your worship of Him.  Going back to Hebrews 12, He didn’t want to face eternity without you.  The joy set before Him of your worship, your trust and turning to Him in the walls of Jericho like Rahab, or on the thrashing waves of the Sea of Galilee like Peter, caused Him to look past the suffering of the cross, the shame of godless men, and saw the throne in heaven where one day all His people would be with him.  So like Him do not grow weary but come to Him with all you are…and you will see the great walls and enemies around you lying in dust at your feet (Joshua 6:20).