Doubts make the world go round. Doubt is the mechanism that drives us towards unprecedented success or epic failure – that, or the nagging voice that encourages mediocrity because it is the safest option.
Truth be told, the voice of doubt becomes quieter the less we resist. This is because doubt becomes who we are. It is no longer an external voice, but an internal one, and it is a powerful one.
Doubt is terrifying, but it does not have to be. Times of doubt are opportunities to trust God when every ounce of your being wants to trust yourself.
In C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters,” the experienced tempter, Screwtape, tells his nephew Wormwood, “[O]ur cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”
What about you? Is your life marked by obedience in the face of doubt and despair?
Mine has not always been that way. In fact, the last two years have been a train wreck at times. I have settled for intimacy with man instead of intimacy with God; chosen busyness instead of shalom; hidden in myself and not in the shadow of His wings, and all because I have trusted in my feelings and not my God, feeding my flesh instead of my spirit.
Yet, there is hope! “Have mercy on those who doubt,” God tells us in Jude 1:22. Christ calls all of us to be merciful to those with little faith, including ourselves.
I encourage every one of you to read John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Bunyan masterfully chronicles the journey of Christians to Heaven, highlighting their individual strengths and struggles along the way. My favorite character is Feeble-mind, the archetype of a doubting Christian. He is weak physically, emotionally and spiritually. To many, he would be perceived as a burden, but to Christ, he is a trophy of grace, and to other believers, a beacon of hope and resilience. He humbly leans on the everlasting arms of his Heavenly Father, happily casting his cares upon Him, held up by his brothers and sisters in Christ.
As Feeble-mind arrives at the Celestial City, he has one more task: Cross the river. In other words, he must close his eyes in death. With gratitude, he looks at his companions and says, “As for my feeble mind, that I will leave behind me, for that I shall have no need of in the place whither I go, nor is it worth bestowing upon the poorest pilgrim….”
What profound final words from this faithful saint. He could say these words because he exercised his faith every single day.
God does not require great faith, just faith the size of a mustard seed. Feeble-mind was rewarded for his faith by means of a mind no longer plagued by the troubles of this world. This is our inheritance, Christians. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4).
Receive God’s mercy, glory in His grace. He commands you to do it. Will you listen to His voice?
Pastor Will McGee once told me that cynicism was a sign of hopelessness. Hopelessness is not a Christian virtue. Give our God the benefit of your doubts. After all, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14).
Trust in His faithfulness, not your own. Be faithful in little and you will be faithful in much. When the time comes, you will be ready. So, Christian, come to Him as you are, worship Him as He is, and never leave the same. Grace and peace.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
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