Doubt

Have you ever had cause to doubt since you have trusted in the Lord? Have you ever questioned why you believe?

Have you ever felt abandoned by the Lord?

Have you ever been in circumstances or situations where you felt like the Lord didn’t care?

Have you ever been angry with the Lord?

Have you ever read things in the Word that didn’t seem to apply to your life, but you wished they did?

I have had all of these things happen to me through the years.  I went through many years thinking that God didn’t love me and that He never forgave me.  They were, without a doubt, some of the hardest years of my Christian life, I was totally devastated experiencing emotional ups and downs through the years.  

I remember reading a story years ago about a Pastor in Romania, if I remember right his name was Richard Wurmbrand.  He was thrown into prison because of his faithfulness to the Lord.  The book was called, “Tortured for Christ.”  I would recommend it to anyone; it is a very good book.  At one point Richard felt like the Lord had abandoned him.  But then the Lord flooded the room with His presence and Richard was overjoyed and so excited he could hardly contain it all, at least that is my summary of the situation.

When Peter denied the Lord, not only once, but three times, even cussing in the end, I think he might have felt like it was all over as he went out and wept.  It is hard to imagine what Peter felt when Jesus turned around and looked at him after his third denial.  He had forsaken Jesus in His greatest time of need; Peter must have been totally crushed and devastated.  Was Peter abandoned?  No, he was forgiven and reinstated.

And think about Job, when he went through his trials.  He never sinned against the Lord, so he certainly didn’t understand why he was going through what he was going through.  He felt abandoned, wondering where God was.  Did God leave Job?  No, He was there all the time that Job was being tested.  

Even though these three men may have felt abandoned, the Lord was there all the time.  If you feel you are struggling now with any of the questions I asked at the start of this Tidbit, hang onto your faith, this too shall pass.  I think the majority of believers go through these feelings at times in their walk with the Lord.  God knows your heart and He can handle your doubts and your anger, He doesn’t want you to feel that way.  He still loves you and He wants to help you settle all these doubts and questions in your mind and heart and trust Him to see you through.  

Don’t forget about Thomas and how he doubted that the Lord was alive after His death.  Thomas was a disciple, a loyal and honest man.  Thomas refused to believe the others when they told him Jesus was alive.  He didn’t believe until he saw Jesus, but Jesus still loved him and forgave him.

So be of good cheer and trust the Lord, He loves you and will never forsake you.  God bless and have a great day!!