{"id":3308,"date":"2016-01-31T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-01-31T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3308"},"modified":"2016-01-31T13:23:11","modified_gmt":"2016-01-31T19:23:11","slug":"choose-to-deal-with-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3308","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Deal with Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Year of Choices<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Dealing<\/a>Can one be a Christian and have doubts?<\/p>\n

Exactly what are doubts?\u00a0 One definition is \u201cfeelings of uncertainty.\u201d\u00a0 Most Christians have feelings of uncertainty from time to time \u2013 especially when facing trials.\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t always give us what we want when we want it, so we might doubt His love for us.\u00a0 Doubt itself is not a sin.\u00a0 Actually, it\u2019s better to face our doubts than pretend they don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what David did.\u00a0 He talked his doubts over with God and he was fairly bold in letting God know how he felt.\u00a0 Just read the Psalms.\u00a0 \u201cHow long will you forget me, O Lord?\u00a0 How long will you hide yourself from me?\u201d (Psalm 13:1-3)\u00a0 \u201cWhy do you stand so far off, O Lord?\u201d (Psalm10:1)\u00a0 \u201cWhy have you forsaken me?\u201d (Psalm 22:1) This was David\u2019s way of asking God to help his doubt.\u00a0 And God always did.\u00a0 We can tell because of the conclusions David reached.\u00a0 All those Psalms end with David acknowledging God\u2019s greatness and trusting His mercy, judgment, salvation, goodness, and love.<\/p>\n

Just because we doubt doesn\u2019t mean God doesn\u2019t love us.\u00a0 God loved David.\u00a0 He even said that David was \u201ca man after mine own heart.\u201d (Acts 13:22)<\/p>\n

What about John the Baptist?\u00a0 He had testified that Jesus was the Son of God.\u00a0 (John 1:29, 34)\u00a0 Yet when Herod threw Him in prison he must have had a little element of doubt.\u00a0 He sent messengers to Jesus to ask, \u201cAre you really the one who was to come, or do we need to look for someone else?\u201d\u00a0 (Matthew 11:2-3)\u00a0 Jesus was not upset by the question.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t chastise John.\u00a0 He told the messengers to go and reassure John.\u00a0 (Matthew 11:4-6) \u00a0Then Jesus told the crowds there had never been another man born of women greater than John the Baptist.\u00a0 (Matthew 11:11)\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty high praise for one who had a little doubt.<\/p>\n

Peter had not expected Jesus to be arrested so he had some doubts.\u00a0 Why else would he have denied Christ three times?\u00a0 (Luke 22:54-61) \u00a0And after Christ\u2019s crucifixion all the disciples were disheartened and had a few doubts.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t fully understand God\u2019s plan yet.\u00a0 When the women reported Christ\u2019s resurrection the men thought they were \u201ctelling idle tales.\u201d (Luke 24:11)\u00a0 Peter ran to the tomb to see for himself.<\/p>\n

\"Thomas<\/a><\/p>\n

Then a little later Christ appeared to the disciples.\u00a0 However Thomas wasn\u2019t with them so he had some doubts.\u00a0 He said he wouldn\u2019t believe it until he personally saw the print of the nails in Christ\u2019s hands and touched His scars.\u00a0 (John 20:24-29)\u00a0 Eight days later Jesus came to Thomas and let him touch His scars.\u00a0 This was not a rebuke.\u00a0 It was Jesus helping Thomas on his spiritual journey.\u00a0\u00a0 Thomas humbly responded with, \u201cMy Lord and my God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus didn\u2019t say, \u201cYou bad, bad disciples!\u00a0 How dare you doubt?\u201d\u00a0 He was patient and loving towards them.\u00a0 And He is patient and loving towards us.<\/p>\n

When Christ appeared to the eleven disciples before His final commission, we are told they worshipped Him\u2026 but some doubted. (Matthew 18:16-17) \u00a0Christ had already appeared to them a couple of times so why doubt?\u00a0 Aren\u2019t we kind of like that?\u00a0 God does so many wonderful things for us but sometimes we still kind of doubt when He doesn\u2019t respond the way we think He should.<\/p>\n

Now here\u2019s what I find interesting.\u00a0 This scripture indicates they all worshipped Him even though a few doubted.\u00a0 The Greek word here for doubt is \u201cdistazo\u201d which means to hesitate, think two different ways at the same time.\u00a0 Maybe the doubters thought, \u201cWOW!\u00a0 There He is.\u00a0 But wait.\u00a0 He was crucified and died.\u00a0 How can this be?\u00a0 But it is!\u201d\u00a0 However, no matter what they thought, they worshipped Him.<\/p>\n

Some say doubt is the opposite of faith.\u00a0 I\u2019m not so sure.\u00a0 After all, courageous people have fear; they feel fear but do what is right anyway.\u00a0 I think faithful people can also have doubts.\u00a0 However, their actions are based on their faith or what they believe, not their doubts.\u00a0 Our Christian faith must be deeper than our doubts.\u00a0 All those disciples worshipped Jesus in spite of any wavering some may have felt.<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 Our doubts do not alter the existence of God.\u00a0 God isn\u2019t like Tinkerbelle who relies on us to chant, \u201cI do believe, I do believe, I do believe\u201d for Him to spring to life.\u00a0 God exists whether we believe it or not.\u00a0 Jesus loves us whether we believe it or not.<\/p>\n

Doubts arise from feelings of uncertainty, things we can\u2019t be sure of.\u00a0 Well, we can be sure of God. \u00a0Instead of focusing on what we don\u2019t know, perhaps we need to focus on what we do know.\u00a0 We know God loves us. \u00a0We know He only wants the best for us. \u00a0We know His ways are not our ways, but His ways are better.\u00a0 We know He sent His only begotten Son to die for us.\u00a0 We know Jesus lived and died and lives again.\u00a0 We know we are forgiven.\u00a0 We know we have salvation.\u00a0 This list goes on and on.\u00a0 If we keep our eyes focused on these certainties, we won\u2019t have a lot of time left to doubt.<\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n