Dealing With Doubt

Matthew 14: 22-33; James 1: 5-8

"Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea."

These lines come from one of the most simple and yet grand expressions of Christian confidence
in our language.
Alfred Lord Tennyson, the poet, had been visiting his brother on the Isle of Wright,
and was enroute home when he jotted down the words to "Crossing The Bar."
When he showed them to his son who read them, and then the son said,
"Dad, these are the finest lines you have ever written!"

Tennyson replied: "Well, it is as if they came to me.
I wrote them down just as I received them."

Tennyson was a man of great Christian faith, yet many do not realize that his faith
was hammered out in the forge of deep and disturbing doubt.
He was an honest, thoughtful man who did not ignore the harsh realities of life.
All his life whenever he found a man of triumphant faith, he would ask about his secret.
He was always seeking the answers to the doubts that plague our human existence.

When we read, "Crossing The Bar," we need to remember other lines
that he wrote such as the following from "In Memoriam":

"So runs my dream; but what am I?
An infant crying in the night;
An infant crying in the light,
And with no language but a cry. If

I falter where I firmly trod,
And falling with my weight of cares
Upon the world's great altar-stairs
That slope to darkness up to God.

I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope,
And gathered dust and chaff, and call
To what I feel it is Lord of all,
And faintly trust the larger hope.
.................................

Their lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds."

Of course our experience is not identical with Tennyson, and yet most of us would agree
that great faith is usually formed in the crucible of soul-searching doubt.
We have lived long enough to know the truth of Bailey's words that said:
"Who never doubted, never half believed.
Where doubt, there truth is -- 'tis her shadow."

It is possible that you might be the one of those rare individuals who have never been
disturbed by doubt.
When someone asked George Muller if he had ever been troubled with doubt, he replied,
"Yes, I once doubted for 5 minutes."

John Henry Newman said that he never had a moment's doubt.

But most of us cannot honestly say that.
Is it possible that those who have never doubted have never faced the awful realities of life
or that they possess only a blind faith -- of faith that has never used its mind?
The trouble with some people is that they are often in error, but never in doubt.
At the same time, no one should dare to doubt merely for the sake of doubting.
Only a fool would be so presumptuous.

C. H. Spurgeon wisely observed, "It is never worthwhile to make rents in a garment for the sake
of mending them; never to create doubt in order to show how cleverly we can quiet them."

Many believers who have been perplexed by haunting uncertainties have asked
what are the sources of our doubts?
Doubts arise from many sources.

Sometimes they originate in frustration and disappointment.
People often lose faith in God because they lose faith in man.
Agnosticism is generally a symptom of either a hurt heart or a confused mind.

Sometimes, doubt arises from a shock to our pride.
More often, doubt originates in a guilty conscience.
A believer cannot live with unforgiven sin without sooner or later doubting the very existence of God.
One of the most subtle of our human temptations is the tendency to attribute our dilemma
to intellectual confusion instead of moral impurity.
It is much easier to pride ourselves on intellectual honesty than to face up to our own moral guilt.

Physical or mental illness, disobedience to God's will, or neglect of our devotion life
can bring disturbing doubts.

Doubt often arises out of bitter suffering.

In his autobiography, Joseph Parker says that up to the age of 68, he never had a doubt.
He never questioned the goodness of God, the divinity of Christ or anything vital to his faith.
Then, his wife died, and it seemed to him the faith by which he had lived and in which
he had preached to others had collapsed.

In my ministry, I knew one of the most devoted Christian couples who served God
faithfully and sacrificially.
They lived a long and prosperous life, and served God daily with their devotions and in their church.
They were very generous in their giving to the church and to individuals who were down on their luck.
Through all their years they had enjoyed good health and had a good living.
They needed for nothing.
They had weekly Bible studies in their home, and were excellent Bible teachers.

The day came when the wife began to suffer from dementia, and was unable to take care of herself.
The husband, lovingly and faithfully, took care of her, but kept her sheltered from the view of others
who would come to show love and wished to be of help to this couple.
This man who had such great faith became bitter toward God, and closed every one out of their lives.

Sometimes doubt relates to Christian stewardship.
A person cannot withhold from God what is His, and have that peace which passes all understanding.
A greedy hand can make for an uneasy heart.
An unconverted pocketbook can lead to an uncertain faith.

It is vitally important that we determine the causes of our doubts, and
it is even more important that we have the spiritual resources to deal with them.
How to deal with our doubts is an age-old and universal question.

Simon Peter faced it many times.
Remember the miraculous event recorded in Matthew 14:22-33.
Jesus had fed the 5,000, and now, the multitude was determined to make him a king.
Jesus dismissed the crowd, and literally forced his reluctant disciples to embark for the other side.

Then, He withdrew into the lonely hills to pray.
The distance across the Sea of Galilee at that point was only 5 or 6 miles,
and the disciples could have crossed it in an hour or so.
But, apparently angry and rebellious, they rowed a short distance from the shore and lingered.
It could be that they thought that Jesus would change His mind.

Abruptly, a storm came up, and for 8 or 9 hours they fought desperately for their lives.
Wet and weary, they had tugged at the oars all through the night.
Jesus saw how distressed they were long before He came to them as the gospel of Mark recorded.

It was not until the last watch of the night, which was between 3 am and 6 am when the storm
was at its most fierce did He come.
This is what some have called, "delays of His love," which we find
so often in the New Testament.

Because of the love that Jesus had for Mary and Martha and Lazarus, He delayed his coming
two full days after learning of the death of Lazarus.

Jesus loved Simon Peter, but He let him stay in prison until the last watch of the night
before he was to be executed and then delivered him in such a miraculous manner
that tells us of the omnipotence of our Lord.

The clock of heaven does not always have the same time as the clocks of the earth.
In the midst of the storm, Jesus appeared to them walking on the water.
Often, Jesus comes to us over a stormy sea.
They did not recognize Him for they were so absorbed in their own fears.
Jesus said: "It is I, be not afraid!"

At this point, Peter asked for permission to walk to Jesus on the water.
Peter started out well, but when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the boisterous winds
and the dangers waves, he began to sink.
He cried for help, and Jesus extended His hand, and said:
"O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:31)

Why does Jesus rebuke him?
It wasn't because he got out of the boat.
Jesus does not blame him for venturing too much, but for trusting too little.

His lack of faith had been nurtured under a background of disobedience and fear.
The disciples were brought into danger by their own rebellion, and they had been so preoccupied
with their desperate plight that they did not even recognize Jesus when He came to them.
Our concern for our problems often blinds us to the power of God!

In dealing with our doubt, we are reassured by the knowledge that it is not an unique experience.
Sooner or later, all honest, thoughtful people will face painful doubts.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians that their temptations were such as were common to all men.
Perhaps, there is some comfort in the realization that our problems are common to all men.
The Christian need have no fear of truth in any realm if he believes and understands this.

Earnest Fremont Tittle has said, " The real skeptic is the man who has so little faith
in his own position that he is afraid to have it critically examined;
who has so little confidence in truth that he fears to have more of it discovered;
who is tormented by the thought that if he knew more he might believe less."

Nothing solves doubt like obedience.
Our Lord said, "If any man will do his will, ye shall know." (John 7: 17)

If you are plagued by doubt, then begin now by doing God's will in repentance and trust,
public confession and church membership, service and witnessing in God's name,
and Christian stewardship.
Determined obedience in matters of faith tends to release us from the petty tyranny
of our subjective moods and depressions.
Many of our doubts result from the fact that we have been telling ourselves
a sad story about ourselves.

Also obedience helps us to distinguish between the so-called intellectual problem,
which is really after all nothing but rationalized moral guilt, and the really tough questions
that perplex the minds of men.
Obedience is an organ of spiritual knowledge.

Perhaps, the most comforting thought about our doubt is that our questions can drive us
to the very source of all our answers.
It is in passing through the deep waters that we discover the sweetest and surest faith.
We must allow our doubts to drive us to Jesus!

Sholem Asch in his book, Kiddush Ha-Shem, tells of an incident that happened during
the terrible massacre of the Jews in Russian Poland in the 17th century.
Men, women, and children were murdered, and families were divided and destroyed.
Only death seemed certain.

One of the survivors was walking down the streets in the denuded, deserted town,
trying to understand the meaning of it all.
As he passed the marketplace, he saw merchants with their booths all set up,
selling articles of food and clothing.

In one booth, he saw an old Jewish man sitting in his rags.
The strange thing about this was that his booth was completely empty of food or clothing,
and he had absolutely nothing to sell.
And, he just sat there.

In amazement, survivors would go up to the old man, and ask:
"Your booth is empty. What do you sell?"
The old jew turned and looked at them, and with a sad smile, said slowly,
"I sell faith! I sell faith!"

Today, we must say with the needy man of olden days:
"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!"

Have Faith in God

"Have faith in God when your pathway is lonely.
He sees and knows all the way you have trod;
Never alone are the least of His children;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Have faith in God when your prayers are unanswered,
Your earnest plea He will never forget;
Wait on the lord, trust His word and be patient,
Have faith in God. He'll answer yet.

Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow,
His heart is touched with your grief and despair;
Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him,
And leave them there, oh, leave them there.

Have faith in God though all else fall about you;
Have faith in God, He provides for His own:
He cannot fail though all kingdoms shall perish.
He rules. He reigns upon His throne.

Refrain:
Have faith in God, He's on His throne,
Have faith in God, He watches over His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail,
Have faith in God, have faith in God."

Remember, there is only one way to increase your faith, and that is to use the faith you have today!

Sermon adapted from several sources by Dr. Harold L. White