or Embracing Belief
Questions, Questions, too many Questions:
Is it ok to have doubts? What if experience tells me different?
Questions, Some Answers and Do We Need all the Answers?
James 1 5-19 talks of a man doubting, a double minded man. Do you ever feel like that, I know I do! For example, I feel 100% better from Asthma, I have more energy since being prayed for at the Salford IHOP meetings. And I hardly ever sleep in the day anymore! I had a comprehensive lung function test which showed up completely normal. And yet I doubt! I tell myself that all the medicine I had been stuffing down had suddenly, by some strange coincidence started working and that I have not needed it since? Well at least occasionally I have that thought. And yet God began my healing on the Monday night while I was largely in a state of unbelief! Then completed the work Wednesday night when I had more belief ( a young guy who said he was inexperienced with this kind of thing came out of the audience and prayed for me) I rarely doubt my salvation or the concept of salvation, how come I doubt healing? And what about all the poor people in the crowd not healed that night? And why wasn't I healed before, in fact, I have sought healing from asthma on a number of occasions, publicly and privately over 13 Years!
. All the above by Andy Harper via Video
Some Answers ?
Some commentators say James is talking about a person that decides to be double minded, rather than a person who has doubts then decides to use these questions to discover more about God, ie to go deeper - "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." So the very nature of God vs our nature means things are concealed! And the real fun is searching these things out, 'Kings', means me and you by the way. Wise men still seek out Jesus http://bible.us/Prov25.2.ESV
My kids tend to have an unquestioning belief that I love them and will always do my best for them. As they grow older they begin to see that I am not Super Human, however, our Heavenly Father is Super Godly and changes not! So let's begin with our belief that, 'God is good to me all the time'. People will dispute this and your own thoughts will sometimes too. 1 Peter 4 19 is often quoted, "Therefore, those who are ill-treated and suffer in accordance with God’s will must do right and commit their souls [in charge as a deposit] to the One Who created [them] and will never fail [them]. (amplified version). Does this verse actually mean what the message it suggests however? ie it's God's will we suffer. Let's look at the message version: "So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it. He’ll Promote You at the Right Time" Life often is difficult, we know that, but, it is not God's will (His will was expressed in the garden of Eden before we all became wrong doers). Now we know that Christ suffered and that He accepted this as God's will - God's will that the world be restored and redeemed, not that Christ suffer for the sake of it. We suffer persecution because as the bible says, we then share in Christ's suffering, ie, we participate with Christ in God's purpose of redeeming and restoring individuals. Do we get it yet ? "GOD IS GOOD TO US ALL THE TIME". Listen to what the Holy Spirit tells your heart and then use your head to (sometimes eventually) work out why your heart said, 'God is always good to me'. (It's sometimes good to start with the head and teach the heart, how often do we start with the heart and try to confirm or otherwise with our head?)
Do We Need all the Answers?
What if even in heaven we do not have all the answers, what if for all eternity we are discovering more and more about God? Do you remember when you were struggling to make a decision on whether to become a Christian or not and you had all these questions? What if God had given you all the answers, how much would it have helped? Wasn't it your questions pushing you along as well as God's Holy Spirit convicting you that eventually made you say yes? (ie awakening your conscience, nudging your sleepy soul: how sleepy are you right now by the way? Awaken!)
Lorenzo Dow, who I just read about this last week, click on the picture below to find out more about this amazing man from the 19th century or google him:
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Prayer
Dear Lord
I just thank you that when doubts come we can use these as a trigger to find out more about you and draw closer to you. Thank you it's ok to say 'God I don't know the answer to this', and even, 'I don't know the answer and it's making me hurt and angry'. Help us to search you out at these critical times. Help us to submit to you being the boss and knowing what's best for us. May we also help and encourage others, strengthen them at times like these and be there for them
Amen
Andy
Andy Harper
http://andyharper.blogspot.com/
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/andyharperintheuk
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