Good Morning Friends,
Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Zechariah and of course Thomas and John the Baptist have this all in common. Yes, they were all doubters about good things happening. For Abraham, Sarah, and Zechariah, they all doubted they could have a child in old age and Moses and Gideon doubted they could lead, and Thomas doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. In today’s text we have John the Baptist doubting too. The focus of his doubt was related to Jesus being the Messiah. So, this morning we ponder the reality of doubt even as we look in the mirror and seriously ask pointing a finger in our reflection and reasoning related to today question. So, Is Jesus The One For You Or Are You Still Doubting?
Scripture: The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?'” Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
Luke 7:18b-23 (NRSV)
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things. Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also; I the Lord have created it. For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the Lord, and there is no other. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is no one besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; all who were incensed against him shall come to him and be ashamed. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.
Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21c-25 (NRSV)
Message: When it comes to the subject of doubt Christians do not agree. Opinion on the subject varies widely. Some think doubt is wrong and shows a lack of trust in God. Others consider it essential to any intelligent pursuit of the truth. For me honest doubt exists with faith and has value for the Kingdom if it leads us to lean on Jesus. To embrace this reality, I think it helps us to understand that doubt is different from unbelief. Unbelief is when we know what is right but refuse to obey and trust in doing what is right. Unbelief was not John the Baptist’s problem. Being locked up in jail by one of his enemies for doing the right thing was. Doubt is very different from unbelief and is not a sin. So, if you want to express your faith but are not sure you can, then you are in good company. But realize this, that all things can be done for someone who believes. Like the man who came to Jesus asking for help with his son, most of us believe but need help in overcoming our unbelief. Doubt often comes to us when we reach the limits of our understanding or when we encounter a sudden, unexpected calamity or when we obey and do what is right and suffer for it. In the case of John, he has moved from confidence affirming Jesus as the Messiah to one drowning in an unfamiliar sea of doubt. John was not familiar with doubt. John the Baptist knew hunger and loneliness but was a man of raw conviction and rugged truth until he faces is own death and his fear of failure if Jesus is not the Messiah. He needed and desired affirmation. And Jesus gives it to him telling the world that John was a great man but those in the Christ’s Kingdom who in time be even greater.
And So, it is reasonable that we might experience doubt when we are committing our lives to God. There will be times in our lives when we will need an assurance for our souls. So, in dealing with the doubt of others, we like Jesus need to let our actions do the talking and not lecture people on having less doubt. Most Christians, at one time or another have had to do battle with doubt… a dark night of the soul and the thing is that this can lead us to a deeper and stronger embrace of Christ’s faith in us. Doubt in and of itself is not wrong. Consider the parable of the Two Sons we focused on in yesterday’s devotional. What counts is the actions that support what we say we believe. Both have merit but it is in combination that power is released. So, know that having doubts are not necessarily wrong for they can lead us to a deeper and stronger relationship with God. If we never struggle, we will never grow. Friends, the Bible is filled with examples of people like Job who suffer yet stay faithful, of people like Joseph who endure unjust treatment yet refuse to live in bitterness, of people like Hosea who walk in obedience despite the broken relationships in their lives, and of people like Paul who have a thorn in their side and yet claim that Christ’s grace is sufficient. We too can overcome doubt.
Pray that Jesus will penetrate the thick walls of our doubt as he did for John. Pray we be eyes and ears for those who doubt telling them what we have seen and heard. Pray we do not prompt others to fall away from the faith because of our actions or lack of actions. Pray we are blessed to embrace the mystery of God’s dealings in our life and not be offended. Pray we are blessed to live with unanswered questions yet rest in what we see and wait patiently for God to reveal what we cannot see.
Pray we hear a cry for an awakening inside us that increases our belief, trust, and obedience.
Pray we love those things that draw us closer to God. Pray we rejoice that God has chosen us to experience grace and mercy. Pray we believe that God is sovereign, and we are not even though we have choices. Pray we realize that evil is initiated in our hearts, but that love can be initiated there as well in response to God’s love for us. Pray we know our spiritual enemies and face them in battle victoriously because God has chosen us to be on the winning team. Pray we realize that we are blessed to be salt and light for a sovereign God growing in wisdom each day even though from time to time we have doubts.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 