Difficulties & Doubts, Week 17

How many of you have ever doubted God? It's alright we all have done it at some point in our faith journey. Many things happen to us that cause us to question our faith such as illness, death, war, relationship struggles, but the one constant is that no matter what happens in life God never changes, He is the one and only consistent thing in our lives we can always count on. Does this mean we won't struggle with the things of life, by no means, but God will be there to see us through it all! Jesus on the cross uttered this phrase on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you foresaken me?" Many of us have felt as Jesus did on the cross, that God has foresaken us. David in the Psalms expresses the same feelings that God was "hidden" from him. I have just read the book "The Shack" and among many other theological themes it challenges the idea that on the cross Jesus was foresaken. The author describes each member of the Trinity suffering along with Jesus on the cross. The traditional understanding is that God has turned away from Jesus on the cross because He has taken on the sins of the world. However, just becasue we feel something doesn't mean that it is actually happening. Just like David felt foresaken by God in the midst of his sin with Bathsheba, when in actuality God was still there and it was his sin that caused him to feel and think that way. In other words, how cold and unloving of a God would He be if during the most difficult of times He turns His back on us. I think there is something to that idea and it is alright if you don't want to go there, but at least know this that God is always there even if you doubt that He is and question Him for a season of your life; He is there and will be waiting for you to call upon His name. You are going to read about John the Baptist and the doubts he had about God during a time of heavy persecution and struggles in his life. How about you, do you ever doubt God? How does faith in Jesus help you in your times of doubt? Do difficulties in your life ultimately make you stronger and closer to the Lord? Have you shared your faith story and struggles with others opening and honestly?Memory Verse: "The blind receive sight, the lame walk,those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Matthew 11:5