I've been blessed in my life to know people who seemed to live out their faith flawlessly. At least through my childish eyes, they never had bouts with doubt. Looking back through my adult eyes, I'm pretty sure there were times they doubted God's plan.
Luke 7 tells of John the Baptist sending messengers to Jesus. The messengers asked Jesus if He was the Messiah. Jesus told them to return to John and tell them, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Luke neglected to tell us (thankfully Matthew did) that John was sitting in a prison cell at the time. John knew in his head that Jesus was the Messiah. Sitting in that prison cell, however, was causing a little doubt in his heart.
Can you relate? I know I can. I've seen miraculous healings and heard incredible testimonies all of my life. Yet, there have been times when I so desperately desired God's intervening power on my behalf, that all the times I knew He had come through in the past seemed nonexistent. During those times, its easy to doubt who He is. Its also easy to question why He isn't doing something for you, when you hear testimony after testimony from others.
John the Baptist was not like "a reed swayed by the wind." Like those precious saints I knew growing up, he was a man of absolute faith. I don't believe for an instant that John was struggling with "head-doubt." I think, however, sitting in a prison and hearing about Jesus proclaiming freedom to the captives, he was thinking "Hey You, I know a prisoner over here who could use a little freedom!" His struggle was with "heart-doubt." There is most definitely a difference.
A little heart-doubt from time to time is probably normal, but it has the potential to be very dangerous. The problem comes when we allow our emotions to override what we know in our minds to be true. Jeremiah 17:9 says "the heart is deceitful above all things." This is why the world's philosophy "just follow your heart" can be so detrimental to disciples of Christ.
We have to work through our periods of heart-doubt WITH Jesus, through prayer and godly counsel. We can't allow our moments of heart-doubt to override what we know, that we know, that we know to be true in our minds: God's way is always the right way.
Frustratingly, sometimes we merely come to the conclusion that God's plan is greater than ours and there are some things we will never understand this side of heaven. God's way was right for John. The timing of his incarceration was not an accident. The Bible says John's task was to prepare the way of the Lord. Even John himself said "He must increase and I must decrease." John continuing in ministry could have actually caused some people to miss out on salvation.
Again, God's way is always right. When John the Baptist reached heaven and understood the kingdom plan, do you think he would have traded his role in that plan for anything? More than that, do you think he would have given up those days he spent in a prison cell? He alone was chosen to prepare the way for the greatest work of God known to man. What could be greater than that?
If you're struggling with a little heart-doubt today, keep your chin up. There is a kingdom plan in motion, there is reason you are sitting where you are. Please don't allow your heart-doubt to invade your mind. Think on good things. Remind yourself of God's faithfulness in the past. Encourage yourself in the Lord. One day, it will all make sense.
No comments:
Post a Comment