When in Doubt, Hope

"Against hope, with hope he believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be" (Rom. 4:18, HCSB).

This is one of my favorite verses in Scripture. I love the language "against hope, with hope he believed." The "he" in this verse is Abraham. Paul is trying to explain Abraham's faith. How is a hundred year old man supposed to believe that he could have a child with his ninety year old wife?

Some would deny Abraham's story. They call it a legend. Yet, I find no reason to believe that they are correct. The birth of Isaac to the aged Abraham and Sarah isn't hard to believe. It is no more difficult to believe than the presidency of Washington. I trust the witnesses.

Abraham looked at his life (and his wife) realistically. Even in his pre-scientific era, they understood enough about biology to know the promise could never be fulfilled "naturally." Sarah was past the age of childbearing. But with eyes of faith, Abraham understood that the One who had fashioned Sarah's womb could fashion a child in it.

There were a thousand reasons he shouldn't have believed the promise. It was against hope. The evidence was certain-people their age didn't have babies. But there was one reason that drove Abraham to believe. The promise was spoken by Almighty God.

God could not tell a lie. Abraham didn't need to know all the details. He just needed to know the character of the Promise-Giver. He knew that God was holy and true. So he pushed on through the doubt, and "with hope he believed."

Life hasn't changed all that much. There are still thousands of reasons to doubt. We don't believe the promise because every aspect of it has been explained. We don't believe the promise because we can understand it fully. We believe the promise because it was spoken by Almighty God. He cannot lie. We rest in his unchanging holiness, and we praise him.

You might be struggling with doubts right now. You know the Lord has promised to love and forgive you. You know he said he would never leave you. But you aren't sure. Everything in you life seems to be suggesting that there is no hope for you. Take a cue from Abraham, and against hope, with hope believe. Jesus won't let you down.

All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand

Have you ever had an experience where several pieces of information all hit you at the same time so that you get overwhelmed? Sometimes, I get jammed up when I begin contemplating all the possible things that could go wrong in life. It does take long to feel like I'm sinking in quicksand when I begin to play the "What if?" game. I hate that game.

Earlier this week, I read an article concerning children who abandon the faith when they grow up. Then I saw a video of one such fellow, who as a young adult abandoned the biblical God. Satan begin to hit me with the what ifs. I began to wonder what if Sophia doesn't come to faith in Christ? What if something I say or do drives her away from Christ and the Church? What if this generation is the last generation? The battle raged along these lines for days.

I was listening to Paul Simon's Slip Sliding Away after dropping some kids off from VBS. It's a melancholy song, and it fed my growing despair. I felt like I was trying to tread water in an ocean of doubt, only to be handed an anchor. I was sinking fast. What if I'm only fooling myself? What if God is through with me? What if it's all over? My head was under the waves, yet I continued to thrash. I kept fighting to catch a breath of faith. Breathe. Breathe.

As I slipped into a sea of doubt, something caught me. I should say, someone. While reading the Bible, I came across Jesus' words, "Be courageous! I have conquered the world" (John 16:33). I suddenly, I remember what I had known all along--my Savior is ever present. He is with me, and he will not let me drown. He has overcome.

It is easy to look at the world and assume that Jesus isn't in control. Everywhere you look sin and death have a solid grasp on world. If we fail to understand the biblical tension between what Jesus has already accomplished, and what has not yet been fully experienced, we can be easily led astray.

Jesus already has control of the universe. He sustains it with his word. The question arises, "Why hasn't Jesus fixed everything yet?". The answer is simple: patience. He doesn't want destroy humanity. He desires for humans to repent and believe. In his grace, He is giving them time to repent. The opportunity is there, the offer has been made, but he will not wait forever.

If we are to fend off  despair, we must remember what is, and what is yet to come. We must also remember what is isn't always what it appears to be. God is there, even when though we can't see him. He is at work, even when we can't trace his hand. He is worthy of our trust.

I think this is why Jesus spoke so strongly against worry. Worry implies a complete lack of trust in God. There is no such thing as an unforeseen circumstance for God. He knows all, sees all. He is all wise and merciful. He is righteous and just. These are the bedrock upon which are faith is built. Worry erodes faith. When we fail to silence the nagging voice in our mind that seeks to strip our trust of God, we endanger our faith. Instead, we should nourish our faith by reading Scripture and allowing it to speak to us.

Are you wresting with doubt? How do you handle that overwhelmed feeling? How do you build up your faith? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment.