By Rev. Michael Mwangi
Senior Pastor, Fedha Church KAG
Luke 7:18-24
Matt 11:1-7
Every living person at sometimes wrestles with doubt
• Is God real? Is he there, and if he is, does he care about me?
• Has he not forgotten me as he is busy with the billions of the people?
• Does God really know what am going through?
• Is Christianity is true or just an idea?
• is this thing real and does it really work or is just a way of comforting ourselves?
• What if I have put all my hope in Christ and I’m wrong?
• Is there heaven and hell? Suppose critics are right about the Bible?
• Is the Bible really the Word of God?
Such questions can cross even the heart of the most sincere believer. It is worth noting even non-believers and atheist experience doubts. John the Baptist, struggled with doubts as he languished in Herod’s prison. In spite of John being a great man of God, he wrestled with doubt. He honestly questioned, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for someone else?” John was Jesus’ forerunner and being his close relative knew it all. He baptized Jesus and confirmed he is the messiah during the baptism.
As Jesus started ministering and baptizing he confirmed again to his disciples and affirmed his ministry. (John 1:29-34). Jesus sent this gentle rebuke, “John, I’m the one; just don’t stumble over Me because I’m not doing things the way you may have expected but look at what is happening
It is not usual for men of God to doubt even the greatest men of God are still men of flesh, subject to times of doubt and despair. Elijah wavered in his faith and ran from the wicked Jezebel, whose prophets he had slain, asking God to take his life instead God denied him death and took him alive.
Why do men of God doubt?
1.Facing Difficulty circumstances and situations
John sat in that dark dirty prison day after day suffering. He ate the poor diet of bread and water, and he wondered, “If Jesus is the Messiah, then why am I still in prison?” and after all I have saved faithfully.
Judges 6:12-13 [12]When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” [13]“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Whenever you’re going through a time of difficult trials and God is silent, it seems that God is ignoring your prayers;
Be on guard. Peter wrote, to the church that was going such fiery trials and God seemed absent
1 Peter 5:8-10
[8]Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9]Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
[10]And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Your trials do not mean that God does not exist or that He has lost control as the Sovereign of the universe
Hang on by faith, knowing that He will use your trials to strengthen and establish you. As Peter instructs us just a few verses before (5:6-7), “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God … casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Don’t doubt God’s sovereignty or His love when you go through extended trials seek to know and do His purpose. (A long abusive marriage that will be a testimony to the husband and relatives).
Disappointed expectations
If God is there or that powerful how comes this situation is prevailing over me? How comes my marriage is not working?. How comes my enemies are thriving and am going down?
John’s expectations about Jesus were disappointed.
Not only was John going through a difficult trial that would shortly result in his death, but he was also was dealing with disappointed expectations John came thundering about God’s impending judgment on sinners. He was bold enough to rebuke even King Herod for his immorality. But Herod was still having his drunken parties, still living in immorality with his brother’s wife, while John was in prison.
John knew that Isaiah prophesied that Isaiah 61:1-2 that the Messiah would proclaim freedom to the prisoners and bring in the day of vengeance of our God and yet, John wasn’t exactly free from prison and God’s vengeance had not been poured out on the likes of Herod. Besides, the Jews and spiritual leaders did not were not accepting Jesus as the messiah.
If Jesus was God’s anointed one, John would have expected him to say, I will rescue you but that was a mistaken expectation.
Maybe you’ve been there?
• You thought that Jesus would solve all sorts of problems for you, but instead, the problems have grown worse.
• You thought that He would make life easier and more abundant, but it has been more difficult and destitute.
• Maybe someone even told you the reason things weren’t going so well is that you weren’t praying enough. So you prayed more, but the problems persisted.
• Then he said that you must be harbouring some secret sins, so you confessed every sin you could think of and prayed some more, but God still didn’t seem to be listening or you were asked to give a sacrificial giving. It’s easy for even the godly to doubt at such times. So what’s the answer?
• Though John may not have understood everything, he still held on to Jesus.
We can, therefore, learn from him how to deal with our doubts
1. Bring your doubts to Jesus Himself
John enquired from the Lord himself. When as a believer you’re struggling with doubt, take your doubts to Jesus in prayer. Make sure your heart is in submission to Him. Then pour out your confusion or difficulty to the Lord. At times he may give you a gentle rebuke, but always with a view of bringing healing. Don’t take your doubts to those who don’t believe in God’s Word or an immature one. Such will not usually kill your faith completely. Share with Bible-believing Christian may help you clarify a matter. So bring your doubts to Him. It is important to have the right theology and understanding of God. God remains to be God whether he meets your expectations or not. Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego, we will not bow whether God saves us or not(Daniel 3:18)
2. Focus on the person and ministry of Christ
Jesus told John’s disciples to go and tell John what they had seen and heard. Jesus is more concerned about our character more than our comfort, our holiness more than our happiness. He came to free us from the slavery of sin not to give us freedom from troubles... in fact, He promised us in this world we will face many troubles. (John 16:33)
John 3:16 our sure promise upon salvation is eternal life, not exemplary life. If you never get anything else but eternity you have received the promise. Abundant life is not plenty without sufferings here on earth but eternal life.
3. Reflect on the past
How did you come to believe in God, Has he done it in the past, can you point God’s doing in the past? Certainly yes. This is what will replenish and affirm your faith. Even when things are very tough, God always drops hints here and there and we can see Him at work.
4. Have an eternal perspective
When you don’t look things beyond this life, it very easy to despair and your faith will fail. But when you look thing and life after death you gain understanding. What seems right now to be great, in the life after death it may be useless. John may seem to have lost to Herod as he was put to death and Herod continued with wickedness but the truth of the matter is, John went to heaven and glory and immortality awaits him, not so for Herod.
Romans 8:18
[18]I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Psalms 73 Asaph almost backslid for missing an eternal perspective.
5. Ask for the sufficient grace
The truth of the matter is God can do what is impossible but yet there problems that he will not take away from you.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
[7] or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
[8]Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
[9]But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
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