When in doubt...
/When in doubt, don’t look to the world to figure it out, go deeper into God’s Word where you won’t be tossed about.
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about quite a bit lately. You too, huh? Bouts of pensiveness among the craziness of this past year and a half? Even the strongest among us have, at some point, doubted something — doubted the statistics, doubted the science, doubted the mandates, doubted the motives. We may have even doubted God.
Honestly, the thing that has me bothered most as I ponder it all, is the fact that in today’s culture, doubting God is praised, while questioning the motives of man is condemned. Seems a little backward to me, but that’s just typical of this wayward society. Why are we allowed (and even encouraged) to doubt a holy, perfect, righteous God, but we are not allowed to (and extremely discouraged if we) question corrupt, flawed, sinful human beings?
So many have not only questioned their sanity, they’re questioning their faith and many are literally jumping ship as they dive head first into a sea of doubt. I believe this sea of doubt is made up of torrent waves of progressivism, deconstruction, reconstruction, and other forms of evolutionary faith — faith that is fluid and fickle, not foundational and factual. Any faith that is fluid will not hold fast in times of trial. Swimming in this sea of doubt is dangerous and destructive, and it will destroy anyone who lets this doubt consume them.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ~ Ephesians 4:14
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ~ James 1:6
When you choose to swim in a sea of doubt, you will be tossed about. The waters in this sea are dark and deep. There is no anchor of truth to steady you. There is no lifeboat of proof to rescue you. There is no lighthouse of hope to guide you.
So, why do so many choose to drown in this sea of doubt when God has provided a way out? When we dig deep into the Word of God, we learn what faith is all about. The deeper we go, the stronger we grow. He is our firm foundation. He is our solid rock. He is our mighty fortress. He is our blessed assurance. He is our way, our truth, and our life.
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” ~ Matthew 7:24-27
We don’t have to fully understand to fully trust. God has given us His Word to guide us safely out of the sea of doubt, and on to solid ground where we can figure it out.
While cultural things in the world are fluid and inconsistent, spiritual things in the Word are solid and consistent.
Culture changes, God does not. Culture confuses. God renews, restores, and reconciles. Culture causes us to doubt. God helps us figure things out.
You can ask God questions without questioning God.
“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-5
When in doubt, don’t look to the world to figure it out, go deeper into God’s Word where you won’t be tossed about.