Quest 36 - See Through The Doubt
I doubt a lot of things. Here are some examples.
I doubt I will ever see Notre Dame win a National title in my lifetime.
I doubt I will ever find a PS5 for the student venue.
I doubt I will ever know how to parallel park.
I find the conversation about doubts to be fascinating. For the longest time, there was this feeling that you could never doubt anything with faith. Maybe that’s something you felt or experienced. If that is, it’s not true. It is extremely normal to experience doubts. Life happens, it’s hard, and that leads to questions.
In a great way - this has become a very normal conversation. Churches, pastors, myself included find ourselves saying “It’s okay to doubt! It’s normal! It will make your faith stronger in the long run.” But what I have found is that while we are saying that it’s okay to have doubts, we fail to tell people what to do when you do have doubts.
About 10 weeks ago in Week 26, I wrote a blog about dealing with doubt, and I encourage you to check that out. This week I want to take that same concept, spin it, and give you a different viewpoint. Where last time I made it very inwardly focused on what to do, this time I want to make it very outwardly focused on what to SEE.
It goes back to Isaiah 42, specifically verses 1-9, which we read in the reading plan. Our This Gen team read it together in our meeting this week and it spoke to our souls. I want to help you experience the same thing because as you read this scripture, you will see who Jesus is and what he does and that will help eliminate doubt.
1. Jesus is the chosen one.
Isaiah 42:1, ““Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.
Whatever you are going through, Jesus is the chosen one who will bring justice to the situation. I also took this on a personal level… God has chosen you and I! And he is going to strengthen us in any situation!
2. Jesus is merciful
Isaiah 41:2-3, He will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.”
Isn’t that comforting? Many times when we are doubting, we feel this burden that we are failing and that we are going to be punished for it. Yet, in this scripture we see that Jesus comes with mercy to save us.
3. Jesus doesn’t give up.
Isaiah 42:4, “He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”
Think about that for a moment… how messed up this world is and all the mistakes that we make. It seems like we are hopeless and the situation can never be fixed. Yet, no matter how hard it is, Jesus doesn’t give up. So no matter what you are going through, no matter your doubts, Jesus is there with you.
4. Jesus is what we need.
Isaiah 42:5-7, “God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, 6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”
Jesus will open the eyes of the blind, free us from our prisons, and get us out of the darkness. When we have doubts, man does it feel like that. We feel as though we are stumbling in the darkness, we are chained but what a freeing feeling knowing that Jesus is there to save us!
5. Jesus wins.
Isaiah 42:8-9, “I am the Lord; that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. In the end, Jesus wins. What a beautiful thing to feel.
We all have doubts and there are things that we need to do with those doubts. Ultimately though the most important thing we can do is see Jesus for who he is and what does. It might look different than we expect, like it did for John the Baptist, but know that Jesus is going to win. Praise the Lord for the Savior that is Jesus. We would never be able to make it through our seasons of doubts without him. So see him today in whatever you are doing!