SCHOOL OF DOUBT

Job 38:1-4; 42:1-6
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens My counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?". . .

1 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 "I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures My counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 You said, "Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' " 5 My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Rob and I were roommates for one semester at a Christian college. And though we were dramatically different, we both struggled with the same doubts about our faith in Christ.

We each saw life as a test--which it is in many ways. But every test ought to come with an answer key. For every troubling question life throws at us, there must be a specific passage of Scripture with a concrete answer, say, x = 9!

But the Bible is remarkable in what it doesn't tell us. Rob and I couldn't accept that. We couldn't understand why God didn't make all things absolutely clear to us. Why did we struggle with sin? When would we "arrive" as spiritual giants with all the answers?

Building faith is a lot like building muscle. If we never exercise our faith, it will shrink into uselessness. The greater the test, the stronger our faith will be. Even when we think we've failed!

God puts us in situations where we've never been, so that we have to depend on Him. He gives us challenges we know we can't handle on our own. He poses questions well beyond our ability to answer. In small ways, He puts us where Job was.

After losing virtually everything through no fault of his own, Job wanted answers from God. Instead, he got more questions--four chapters' worth! "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?" God asked (Job 38:4). "Have the gates of death been shown to you?" (v.17).

Job's response? "I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (42:6). God eventually blessed Job beyond his previous riches and greatest expectations.

Rob and I survived our soul-crises to go on to greater tests of faith. But I'll never forget something he said during one of our discussions: "If I didn't have any faith to doubt," he said, "I wouldn't doubt my faith." Keep the faith--even when doubt comes knocking on its door. --Tim Gustafson

DESTINATION POINTS

* Do I struggle with wanting answers to everything?
* What is my reaction to the unfair and unjust things that happen to me?
* How did Jesus react to the greatest injustice of all? (see Luke 23:34).

LINKS:
Safe & Secure:
The Permanence Of Salvation
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0606

bottom line: Don't ditch your faith because of doubt.

soul journey