God, Help Me Make Sense of It All

"When I hear my friends say they hope their children don't have to experience the hardships they went through--I don't agree. Those hardships made us what we are. You can be disadvantaged in many ways; and one way may be not having had to struggle."   -William M. Batten, Fortune.

Today, I'd like to talk about those times when we need to make that leap of faith. Those times when doubts arise, nothing makes any sense, and our faith seems weak as water. One thing that the Bible and history teaches us, is that many people, if not all people, have struggled at times with this issue of doubt and faith.

Over the years, many great Christians have often felt distress over the impenetrable; the anguish of a faith that scrapes rock bottom. In other words, the torment of having doubts regarding God. Also, that’s an area the church hasn't always been kind to, and yet it’s an area that hits us all at different times of life.

Martin Luther battled constantly against doubt and depression. He once wrote, “For more than a week, Christ was wholly lost to me. I was shaken by desperation and blasphemy against God.” St. Augustine the North African Scholar in the 4th century who is seen as one of the great minds of the faith, in his confessions said “I wish I could be made just as certain of things I cannot see as I am certain that 7 +3 make 10.”

Yet he never found that certainty. He contended with the same issues that plague us today; that is believing in the invisible and dealing with a nagging area of distrust, or doubt. A church in Boston refused to allow Dwight L. Moody to join because they said his beliefs seemed so uncertain. We can undoubtedly see it throughout the pages of the Bible. Adam, Sarah, Jacob, Job, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Jonah, Thomas, Martha, Peter… people who question, falter, doubt and yet in the end remain faithful.

I think for many of them (and for many of us) the struggle is summed up by the words of a father in Mark 9:23-24 who has a sick son, and he says to Jesus, do something if you can, and Jesus says “what do you mean “If you can.” He goes on to say everything is possible to him who believes.” And immediately the boy's father exclaimed, I do believe; help me to overcome my unbelief.”

I understand how this man must have felt. We have all been there at one time or another. God we do believe, but it doesn't mean we don’t struggle at times. God help us with our unbelief! Here are some points the Bible brings out regarding faith...

1. A lack of faith, and the opposite of that, great faith, is found in a variety of people. It’s ironic that in the Scripture, we almost see a reversal of what you would expect in who possessed great faith in God. Often those that should have much faith, had very little, while those that had little reason to have faith, somehow came up with it and wonders resulted (Matthew 8:8-10).

2. Doubt often leads to discovery. Questions and even doubts will often lead us to greater faith. We often look back on difficult times with a fond remembrance because we realize we grew the most there. I think faith is very similar. Maybe we'll look back on our life and realize that it was only after a time of question, or doubt that we grew in faith and understanding. It motivated us to search and explore and pray and read. And we came away with an even greater faith.

3. It's the nature of life that there are things we cannot know. And while doubt leads to discovery, sometimes that discovery is simply the realization that this an area that has been roped off by God. An area we cannot and will not know in this lifetime (Deuteronomy 29:29).

4. How do I deal with my doubts? Explore them! In the Bible, in books such as Job, Habakkuk, and Ecclesiastes, we see that God openly embraces those with honest doubts that are seeking answers. And what we find is that when we explore them, we sometimes find answers that we're not comfortable with. Sometimes we’re confronted with things we didn't want to think about in the first place. It’s easier for us just to blame God, or question God, and leave it at that. Exploring our doubts will at times reveal the truth of responsibility.

Look, from time to time, exploring our doubts brings us to conclusions we aren't comfortable with. For many, they are content to just doubt and leave it at that. I do think, however, we have a responsibility to explore those doubts. Why? Because we have to learn to trust God even in those times when it doesn't make sense!

Yes, you may not understand, and there may be much that is hard to believe. But trust in what you do believe. Trust in God and be persistent. We are a time-bound humans, living in rebellious world, and because of that, we cannot possibly think that we will ever figure it all out. Certainly, there will be things you and I don’t know, but we need to understand that.

Finally, there will always be things we do not know. And we could spend our days consumed with the issues of Why? The issues of the unknown. And yet, there are so many things we do know and we need to endure.

An example of this is seen in the disciples following the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:16-17). They doubted but they were still there worshipping. Pray to God to help you with your doubts; and to accept the things you can't know, but continue with what you do know.

Remember, in times of struggle. In times of a faltering faith, persevere, and often you’ll come out the other side with renewed faith, renewed hope, and renewed devotion.

Scripture: 1 John 4:4; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 14:1; Hebrews 11:1; Acts 27:25; James 1:2; Philippians 4:13   

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for the life you have given me, even with all the challenges for I know each one brings me closer to you. Amen

May your day be blessed!

Bonnie