Have you seen the campaign ads that have been running on TV lately? Here’s a question: how many of you believe everything you hear in those commercials? Do you think they tell the whole truth? How many of you watched all or part of the presidential debates? How many of you believed everything that Al Gore and George Bush said? [How many didn’t believe ANYTHING they said?]
Now, I’m going to pick on Al Gore a little, because his truthfulness has become an issue in the campaign. As you know, he’s gotten into trouble for his alleged tendency to “exaggerate,” to stretch the truth at times. Of course, there’s his famous line about inventing the Internet. My personal favorite is when he was speaking to an audience of union members, and he claimed that when he was a baby, his mother sang him to sleep with the song, “Look for the Union Label.” The only problem is that the song was written in 1975, when Gore was 27 years old. [I don’t know about you, but my mommy wasn’t singing me to sleep when I was 27]. The result is that every word Gore speaks is now being examined and scrutinized and gone over with a fine-tooth comb by the media; every fact checked, every story researched. He has no room for error.
In response, the Gore campaign is attacking George Bush’s credibility, accusing him of distortions and false statements. If you go to the algore2000 web site, you’ll see press releases with headlines like: “Bush Falsely Attacks Gore On The Environment” / “Bush Distorted and Exaggerated Gore-Lieberman Proposals” / “Bush Campaign Continues Salvo Of False Attacks On Gore Prescription Drug Plan” / “Bush Kicks Off Barnstorming Tour With Distortions, False Attacks”.
So what’s my point? That Gore is a liar? That Bush is a liar? That Gore and Bush are both liars? No. My point is that most people these days receive any claims made by a politician with a large helping of skepticism. And in general, that’s a good thing. Yes, it’s possible to become too cynical, too suspicious, to the point that you think everyone in government is corrupt, and that’s not good. But on the whole, under a democratic form of government, in which the people in office supposedly work for us, it’s a healthy thing to question their statements, verify their claims, examine their promises. After all, they’re only human. Even the best of them sometimes yield to the temptation to shade the truth. But here’s the question for us this morning: Is doubt always good? We can probably agree that skepticism toward politicians is a good idea, but what about doubt in the Christian life? What about doubt toward God? Is that ever healthy? Does that ever have a useful purpose?
Your first response is probably “No”. How could doubting God ever be a positive thing? God is perfect. He doesn’t lie. He doesn’t exaggerate. He doesn’t break His promises. He doesn’t need to cover up any sin or wrongdoing. Everything God does is right; everything he says is true. God is holy and perfect, there is no unrighteousness in Him. Nevertheless, I’m suggesting to you this morning that not only is doubt inevitable in your spiritual life, not only is it a virtual certainty that you will have periods when you question God, times when your faith falters; but I’m suggesting that these seasons of doubt can be a precious opportunity for spiritual growth, if you handle them wisely. And that’s what I want to prepare you for this morning.
Periods of doubt are normal in the Christian life. None of us has perfect faith. As long as we’re on this earth, we’re constantly being tempted to walk by sight rather than faith, to live according to this world’s values. The world we live in is constantly applying pressure, trying to conform us to its way of thinking and acting, and sometimes it succeeds, at least for a while. Paul warns us about this in his letter to the Romans.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . .” – Romans 12:2 (NASB)
But we struggle at this faith thing, don’t we? Walking by faith, living by faith. It’s not easy. It’s hard. It’s one thing to have faith when you’re healthy, when your marriage is happy, when the career is going well, when you have plenty of money and no worries about the future. It’s another thing entirely when the doctor finds a suspicious lump, or you get an unexpected letter from your wife’s newly hired divorce attorney, or the car dies and needs $2,000 in repairs, or your teenage son calls you from the police station. It’s easy to have faith in the good times. But in times of uncertainty, disappointment, fear, sorrow, pain – that’s when the doubts start to creep in. Is God really in control? Is God really good? Does He really love me? Is God really going to take care of me? Does God really know what He’s doing? Can I trust Him? With my health? With my marriage? With my kids? With my career? With my future? Can I trust Him even with my life? That’s when the world starts to whisper in your ear, “You’re on your own. God isn’t there. Even if He is, he doesn’t love you. He couldn’t care less about you. You have to take care of yourself in this world. Look out for number one.” And then the doubts start to creep in. Sound familiar?
If it makes you feel any better (I know it makes me feel better), some of God’s most outstanding servants went through times of doubt, times of questioning, times of spiritual confusion.
Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.’” – Exodus 5:19-23 (NIV)
“Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent . . . and Moses was troubled. He asked the LORD, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, “Give us meat to eat!” I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin.’" - Numbers 11:10-15 (NIV)
What’s happening here?. Moses is at the end of his rope. He’s had all he can take, and his faith is getting very thin. He doubts God’s goodness, God’s power, God’s love. Moses feels like God has abandoned him and left him to handle the situation on his own, and he feels completely overwhelmed. In fact, Moses is feeling so hopeless that even death seems preferable to continuing. Have you ever felt like that? You’re in good company. Moses felt the same way. And yet, the Scriptures tell us that Moses was a man of faith.
“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house . . .” – Hebrews 3:5 (NIV)
Also, in Hebrews chapter 11, the “Faith Hall of Fame”, Moses is cited again as a man of exemplary faith. God did deliver His people from Egypt; God did provide food for the Israelites in the desert. Yet there was a time in both of these situations, before it became obvious how God was going to work, when even Moses went through a period of radical doubt.
“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth.’” – Joshua 7:6-9 (NIV)
Let me ask you again, Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever asked, Lord, why did you ever bring me here? I thought I was following you, but look now – everything I’ve worked for is in jeopardy. I’m going to lose it all. Where are you, God? How could you let this happen?
Even King David had times when he doubted God’s love and concern, doubted God’s presence in his life.
“Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”
“Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?”
–Psalm 10:1; 22:1; 88:14 (NIV)
Again, if you have ever been in doubt, even fundamental, radical doubt, about God’s goodness, or power, or wisdom, or love, you are in good company. Doubt isn’t a good thing in itself, and it’s usually not pleasant or enjoyable. But it can lead to something good. It can be a necessary and beneficial step in our spiritual journey.
1. Doubt may expose wrong thinking. For example, if you are living under the assumption that a good Christian will never experience loss, or pain, or sorrow, and then you do experience it, you may experience a crisis of faith. Your doubt, your crisis of faith, forces you to choose – either deny God, deny that he is good, and wise, and in control – or change your theology; acknowledge that sometimes even God’s children do suffer, for reasons that we don’t fully understand. And in that way, doubt is the steppingstone to a more mature, and deeper faith, one that is less dependent on external circumstances. Doubt can cause us to re-examine our beliefs in the light of Scripture, it can force us to discard false assumptions.
2. Doubt can also benefit you spiritually by forcing you to become authentic with God; forcing you to communicate honestly with God. When everything’s going fine, we can maintain a façade of faith. We can pretend, put up a good front, appear to all the world like a spiritual, devout Christian; yet inside have very little real spiritual life. A time of doubt and spiritual crisis can strip away the false front, and bring us to the point of truly communicating with God from the heart.
3. Doubt can force you to examine what you believe. Instead of just adopting the faith of our fathers (or mothers), instead of just going along with what everyone else in our crowd believes, instead of just assuming we believe, doubt forces us to ask, “what do I really believe?” Is my faith real? Whatever the answer, knowing the truth is the first step in spiritual growth.
And by the way, a lack of doubt may not be due to strong faith. It may just be that your faith hasn’t been tested yet. Your time will come.
My goal this morning is not to encourage doubt. I’m not suggesting we should all start doubting God all over the place. But when doubt does intrude, we should accept it as a force that God can use in our lives to deepen our faith.
So how can we survive and thrive during a period of doubt? How do we find our way through doubt to faith? Here are three suggestions:
1. First, realize that God is not threatened or surprised by our doubt. Unlike George Bush and Al Gore in the debates, God has good answers to every question we can come up with. He’s not embarassed or uncomfortable when we doubt. We can go to God in prayer with our raw feelings, just like Moses and Joshua and David did. And we know that God will welcome us and receive us. He won’t withdraw from us, He won’t abandon us, He won’t reject us, no matter what we say or how bluntly we express it. He’s heard it all before, He knows what’s in our hearts, and He still loves us. Nothing can change that.
2. Second, look back at how God has blessed you and worked in your life in the past [Moses – forgot how God has brought them out of Egypt]. Are you questioning God’s goodness? Write down, or review mentally, how God has been good to you in the past. Are you doubting God’s power? Review how God has worked in your life; what He has accomplished; how He has shown Himself powerful.
3. Third, look forward by dwelling on God’s promises. The more you meditate on what is to come, the less you’ll be overwhelmed by your present circumstances.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 (NIV)
“Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” – John 6:37 (NIV)
“God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." – Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
When you are in a season of doubt, you may feel very alone. You may feel as though God is far away, as if He can’t hear you, as if He has left you to your own devices, left you to find your own way out of a spiritual maze. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always with you, always present, always working in your life. Keep seeking, keep knocking, keep asking, and you will find Him. When you do, you will realize that He was there all the time.
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
