Lost in a Sea of Doubt

Bankruptcy! Foreclosure! How am I going to pay the bills? Children’s school demands! Job pressure! No raise in two years! Death of a loved one! Loss of a friend! Arrgh!!!! Where is God in all of this mess? Why has God left me to be preyed upon by the wolves of society? Doesn’t God care? What kind of Shepherd leaves the sheep in such a vulnerable state? What have I done to deserve this kind of treatment? I go to church, say my prayers, try to live a morally fit life and still, there is all of this uninvited chaos in my life.

Have you ever felt this way or at least identify with some of life’s curve balls? The challenges we face in life are overwhelming at times. We feel lost and abandoned on a turbulent sea of doubt. The waves of life seem to crash in on us from all sides. We can barely grasp a breath of air before another swell pounds us. We feel helpless and hopeless. We feel lost and forgotten. Life isn’t fair! We don’t deserve this kind of harsh treatment!

At times we all face the harsh realities of life. The fact is life at times is most difficult and often unfair. That is simply life on life’s terms. Yet God never told us that life would be smooth and easy. From the time that Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit life has been a struggle. So why do we feel betrayed by God when we suddenly find ourselves dealing with problems and pressures? Why do we blame God for all the wrong in our lives? Why do we doubt God’s love and benevolence? The answer: because we are human and live life in this world in a state of brokenness.

We all find ourselves doubting God at some point in our lives no matter how strong our faith. It is human nature to demand God for the answers to our troubles. When they are not resolved in the manner in which we desire, we either blame God for our problems or point a finger at God for not listening to our prayers.

But is it really answers that we seek from God, or is resolution to our problems the way we wish them to be resolved? God hears our prayers and answers them although many times not in the manner we want them answered. God can say, “No!” But does that mean God no longer cares for us? Absolutely not!

When we are in a state of doubt, it is important that we turn our lives and wills over to the care of God and accept God’s guidance. We may not like where we are led but remember we are his sheep and he is our Shepherd. Jesus constantly preached that life would be full of challenges and hardships for those who lived by his Word. Yet he also told us that he would not abandon us. When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and teach the Gospel they were like sheep among wolves. That is a frightening picture if you are a sheep! Wolves are ravenous and vicious predators. They hunt in packs and stalk their prey. They are cunning and conniving in nature. Such is the nature of life at times. It is joyous and delightful one moment and full of doubt and ambiguity the next. Yet Jesus is there with us in the midst of it all.

Faith is not the absence of problems; rather it is the ability to cope with them. I heard a good friend once say, “Faith through adversity brings about miracles.” In Christ we are saved and shaped. Adversity plays a large role in deepening our spirituality. So don’t give up and drown on the seas of despair. Jesus is with us and will not abandon us. Remember, as much as we don’t want to hear it, “pain is often the touchstone of spirituality.”