Navigating the Minefield of Doubt — Part 1

Have you ever begged the Lord to speak clearly?… to show up in some tangible way?… to provide an answer to a humanly unanswerable problem?  Have you ever been encouraged thinking you’re sensing God’s answer on one day, only to be completely uncertain the next?If you nodded your head, you’re in good company. It’s so easy to get frustrated as we wait. If God’s love was measured by the length of time between a prayer leaving our lips and that same prayer being answered, we’d all be disappointed. But take comfort: This is not a cruel trick by an uncaring God. We have a God who sees infinitely more than we do and, truly, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)… which means (sigh) His timing is not our timing.[bctt tweet="We have a God who sees infinitely more than we do."]So, what do we do when we’re wavering toward doubt and discouragement?I didn’t realize how badly I needed to know that until Psalm 77 recently answered that very question in my priority time. I encourage you to read the entire Psalm, but until then I want to share with you a biblical example of how to navigate doubts and fears. Since we all live in the world of short attention spans, I’ll get started here and hope you join me for the important conclusion next week.Asaph — the author of Psalm 77 and the man who set many of the Psalms that God gave David to music — was at a place where he penned things like, “My soul refuses to be comforted” and “I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” You may not feel that way today, but if you’ve ever been there, you remember that place. He was honest with where he was at, which I appreciate, but I was stopped in my tracks by what followed in verse 6.

“Then my spirit made a diligent search.” (ESV)

Asaph stopped the cycle of desperation. I love the wording that his spirit is the one that made the search… and not just any search, but a diligent search. You see, when I’m struggling, my flesh might not want to make a search, and it certainly wouldn’t make a diligent one. I thank God that the Holy Spirit lives within every believer and can aid us to do the right thing even when our flesh is too weak to do so.I feel like Asaph might be able to relate to some of the conversations God and I have had lately. I’ve asked questions that I know must seem far-fetched, yet I still needed the reassurance of being reminded of His answer. Asaph does my version of flooding (Chris’s description of me when everything comes out quickly and mostly unfiltered!)…

• Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable?
• Has His steadfast love forever ceased?
• Has God forgotten to be gracious?
• Has His anger shut up His compassion?

In Part 2 next week, I’ll show you the way Asaph’s diligent search ends in hope… but today, I want to acknowledge that this is a great example of God being able to handle any question we have. Even about His character.I’ve asked questions throughout this past year that I’ve never been desperate enough to ask before. But guess what? He didn’t shun me or punish me. He has patiently answered my questions. He wants to keep the dialogue open with His children. He loves us… and when we hurt, He hurts with us.[bctt tweet="God is able to handle any question we have. Even about His character."]