Don’t doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light. Dark times come into the lives of every believer. The Mystics called it the “dark night of the soul.” Our experience might not be so intense, but we all have our times of questions, doubts and fears just the same. When Pastor Greg Laurie’s son was suddenly killed in a car accident, Greg’s Pastor, Chuck Smith, helped him at a time when his faith was being sorely tested. “Don’t give up what you do know for what you don’t understand.“ At times like these, our faith needs something solid to stand on: something firm to hold on to. The hymn writer expressed it well… “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand… all other ground is sinking sand.”
In today’s study, Jesus heals a dying servant, resurrects a widow’s son, and leaves John the Baptist to languish in a lonely prison, all in the same chapter. (Luke 7) Later, in Acts 12, the Lord allows James to be killed by Herod’s sword while he sends His angel to deliver Peter in answer to prayer. Tradition informs us that each of the Apostles died a martyr’s death except John the Beloved who lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes. God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we think He should, nor does He treat us all the same. There come times in our lives when we find ourselves questioning, “Are You really all that You say You are?” Or as the Baptist put it, “Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? (Lk. 7:19)
Granted, many of our problems are our own fault and can be attributed to a lack of faith, willful disobedience, or stubborn pride. But at least there we know what to do: repent, get our eyes back on the Lord, and trust Him to make things right. But when after searching our hearts, we still haven’t a clue as to why things turned out the way they did, it’s then that we need to lean hard on who Christ is as revealed in His Word. This is when character and relationship need to be trusted and embraced.
Who is this Jesus that we follow? How do we see Him in the Bible? What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us about Him? Luke portrays Him as one who is full of compassion, who knows our every need and is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. One who was moved by a soldier’s cry, a widow’s loss, or the inner turmoil of a faithful follower and friend. He never leaves or forsakes, never makes a mistake, and won’t let anything separate us from His love. He alone sees the greater needs in our lives and doesn’t limit His help to our short-sighted requests. And perhaps most of all, we see Him as one who has an interest in our eternal well-being and works all things together for our ultimate good. (Ro. 8:28,29)
As his children, we have a right to expect good things from God. We pray because He hears and answers prayer. We stand upon His promises and praise Him for His goodness. But when things don’t always turn out as we expect, then God will give us the grace to accept the thing He has allowed to occur in our lives. I recently heard Greg Laurie say ” A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.” Jesus said, “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Lk. 7:23)
Prayer: Lord, I believe. Teach me to trust You more and more. Let my heart rest in Your faithfulness and love.
