God loves each one of us as if each one of us were the only one.
"How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand." Psalms 139:18
Someone once told me that you can't have a strong faith without having some doubts along the way. We all have doubts about our faith and our God.
When we're unbelievers, we doubt the very existence of God. Even though God's grace is at work in our lives we sometimes don't see it.
When we become believers we experience even more doubts.
Some doubt the divinity of Christ. Even though we couldn't be free of our sins and redeemed unless Jesus was the Son of God.
Some of us doubt the existence of an afterlife. Even though Jesus tells us about paradise. Even though Paul saw us as heirs to a kingdom and John saw a new world without tears or pain.
Some of us doubt the reality of Hell. Even though we're told of a lake of fire and weeping an gnashing of teeth.
Some of us doubt the second coming of Jesus. Even though we pray that every knee will bend and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
Some of us wonder if the Bible is 100 percent accurate. Or if Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Or if God hears us when we pray.
I once read a poem from Norman Shirk of Dallas Theological Society that said that if we didn't have doubts, just think about the things we could do in life!
Let me meet you on the mountain, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn't have to burn a whole bush.
Just a few smoking branches
And I would surely be ...like Moses.
Let me meet you on the water, Lord,
Just once.
It wouldn't have to be on White Rock Lake.
Just on a puddle after the annual Dallas rain
And I would surely be...like Peter.
Let me meet you on the road, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn't have to blind me on North Central Expressway.
Just a few bright lights on the way to chapel
And I would surely be...like Paul.
Let me meet you, Lord,
Just once.
Anywhere. Anytime.
Just meeting you in your Word is so hard sometimes
Must I always be...like Thomas?
I sometimes wonder the same thing. Why do I always have to be like Doubting Thomas? Why can't I be like Abraham or Moses or any of the heroes in the Bible who saw the glory of God? Surely if I could just see the backside of God then all my doubts would evaporate and I could become the next Mother Theresa or John Wesley or John the Baptist.
But if we didn't have doubts then we would have nothing but an empty and hollow faith. It's when we overcome those doubts and see God's grace in the little things of life that we truly learn to believe. It's when we see the Holy Spirit changing our lives that we start to see miracles. And when we see sinners give up their sins and change their life when they hear about Jesus' sacrifice that we can truly witness God's plan.
Let us pray.
Our Great God. We pray that you will strengthen our faith today. Let the doubts we have be burned away like chaff. Open our eyes to see the glory of your wonders and help us to feel the power of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
The blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you.
PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. EMAIL: [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Religion on 12/14/2016