Do you have them? Do they overwhelm your peace? Do they thrust you into a sunken place? Do they attempt to rob you of the abundance of God? I suspect each of us, as holy as we are, can answer yes, at some point in time, or perhaps even earlier this week, this day, this morning, or even right now. We can believe God and have doubts – but understand our doubts no matter how insurmountable are not larger than God! God can operate despite our hesitation or apprehension, yet He does His best work, at least in our eyes when we are in alignment with Him. Allow me to unfold.
A few days ago, my spouse elected to remove a tire from my vehicle. I check my tires regularly as he has modeled. So imagine my surprise when he said, “This tire is shot. The tread is terrible. You would not have made it another ride.” From the outside, the tire looked sound. It had tread for days. Yet near the innermost part of the tire, the portion invisible to the naked eye, it was what folx would say, “bald.” On the outside, no evidence of difficulty or the propensity to encounter trouble, but on the inside, the potentiality of being wrecked and destitute on the side of the road. I would suggest that when I am deep in my doubts, I feel like I am awaiting help that seems to never arrive. In fact, in the natural, I have been stuck on the side of the road. A few weeks ago, I traveled for a day trip to the beach. A sister of mine was vacationing at her family’s home. She invited me to the coast and it was a beautiful time. I left earlier than I wanted because I was to take the less beaten path home. While driving, I noticed an indicator that instructed me to shut off the engine. The steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. Before I knew it, the vehicle was in distress. I couldn’t stop on the two lane highway, but I was able to steer the vehicle to a parking lot. To my surprise or rather affirmation, it was the parking lot to a church. I sat there until my family arrived, later AAA and while it wasn’t the best ending to a day at the beach that I envisioned, I was safe – just like we are, as we exchange our doubts for belief.
When we fail to acknowledge that we actually question God’s ability and embodiment to be “I AM,” we are exhibiting doubt. Sure, on the outside, we look good, like my tire. We are a “Praise the Lord” away from a full blown temper tantrum on the inside, like my tire. In the ninth chapter of Mark, a father was grappling with his son, who was tormented by demons. While each of us may not be spewing and foaming at the mouth and harming ourselves in fire or a river, we are placing ourselves in harm’s way as we fail to tap into our belief system in the Lord. How often I ask again do you doubt God? Mark 9:21-23 affirms: “He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?” “Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!” Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” If we are to assume the posture for an “anything can happen” kind of blessing, we must surrender our doubts to the one who can make anything happen.
The spouse is getting a new tire, but also an alignment, because without an alignment, we can find ourselves right back in the same situation. Without an alignment, the tires can wear quickly and unevenly. When we fail to align ourselves with the one who can do anything, we too wear quickly and unevenly. When we fail to align ourselves with the one who can do anything, we give our doubts shelter while signaling to God that in our wrecked by the side of the road, less than state, we know more than Him.
When we find ourselves at wit’s end as to what to do more, may we take notice of what the father in the ninth chapter of Mark expressed. In verse 24, the narrative continues: No sooner were the words out of His mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!” We must believe that God can help us and even amidst our belief ask for God to assist us in the navigation of our doubts. God made us. God is not surprised by our doubts – yet God desires us to move and act beyond our limitations as we place our trust in His capable hand.
Doubts. Do you have them? Do they overwhelm your peace? Do they thrust you into a sunken place? Do they attempt to rob you of the abundance of God? Believe. God is at the intersection of our doubt and our belief. Try Him today. I doubt you will be disappointed.
