CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 805

“Doubt”

Matthew 14:29-31 (ESV)  …But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

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Doubt. Left unchecked it becomes a deliverer of destructive despair and depression.  I doubt.  I believe that all humanity has doubts from time to time.

Even great people of faith as recorded in the Bible had doubts.  Abraham doubted and fathered a son with Hagar.  David doubted and wrote several Psalms asking why his soul was downcast and disturbed.

After Jesus was crucified the disciples doubted.

… Jesus himself stood among them, and …said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? – Luke 24:36-38

We doubt along several fronts.  We doubt the integrity of our government and our elected leaders.  We doubt the motives of some friends, acquaintances, salespeople, and certain family members.  Much of these doubts arise from personal experiences of deceit, lies, and betrayals of trust.  ‘Once burned, twice shy’, as the saying goes. We can also doubt our ability to handle some situations and perform certain tasks.  This doubt arises from a lack of personal experience in these areas. Therefore doubts arise from both negative personal experiences as well as a lack of confidence building experiences.

So why would we ever doubt God?  God has never lied to us or betrayed us. His character is that of our loving Father who is good.  He is faithful and true and His steadfast love never ceases.

Doubts arise when our trials and difficult circumstances persist and God seems to be silent, inattentive to our prayers, or distant.  He seems this way because our flesh is impatient in its demand for comfort.  Oswald Chambers wrote: Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time. It is during these times that we need to fuel our faith in order to quench the doubt arising in our flesh.

Our faith is fueled with encouragement and doubt is quenched through the reading, memorizing, and meditation of His Word.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble; And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Psalm 46:1; Philippians 4:19

Our faith is fueled and doubt is quenched through prayer, journaling, and the review of our prayer journal history.  This builds our personal experience of faith in our walk with God giving us deliberate confidence in His character as our loving Father.

May the Holy Spirit fuel your heart, mind, and soul with the oil of His presence so that you may quench doubts as they arise.  May you have deliberate confidence in God and in His love for you.  May you experience the perfect peace of His abiding presence.

Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10