What does it take to make you doubt God’s love for you? A passage that has always amazed me is Matthew 28:16-17, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted.” Do you see that? Even in the presence of the resurrected Christ some struggled with doubt.
Have you ever struggled with doubt? I am sure the answer is yes. Many people after a struggle with poor health for a period of time, the loss of a job and financial difficulties, a sick child, or the death of a parent or spouse enter a period of doubt. Where is God in this? Why did the Lord let this happen?
In Romans 8:28, Paul tells us something we should know: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called accordingly to His purpose.” He is using them as difficult as they may be to mold us into the image of His Son Jesus (Hebrews 8:29). But when are living through these events, it can feel as though God does not hear our prayers and that He has forgotten us. Satan then attacks our faith and tells us that God has withdrawn His love from us in order to punish us. So we struggle. We battle doubt and build walls against the pain and despair.
Friends, God loves us with an everlasting love. Yet, He never promised to keep us or our loved ones from the troubles of life. We are never out of His thoughts or His care. In our trouble, God reveals Himself. Some of my greatest growth periods have been in times of sickness and trouble. There I learned God truly loves us forever. Look at Romans 8:35, 37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or illness, or peril, or sword … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” Take time to read verse 38 and 39.
Each year I read J. Oswald Chamber’s book, “My Utmost for His Highest.” He made an amazing statement, “Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man (or woman) who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God’s character … Only one thing can account for it — the love of god in Christ Jesus.” Rest assured God loves you, cling to this truth and fall on His grace to grow stronger in your faith through these trials.
Dr. David Bouler of Global Faith Ministries, Chattanooga, Tennessee, contributed this column to the Journal Review. He can be reached by email at debouler@aol.com.
