Doubt Must Be Put Out
“But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.’”
Reading: Mark 5:21-24, 35-43
Have you ever longed for something that seemed unreachable?
The circumstances point to impossible. Sometimes the desire even feels unwise. So you cast your dreams and hopes aside. You grieve the loss and may even spiritualize it as the will of God.
I often wrestle with feelings like this. I’ve ugly cried over many things, and just when I think I’m done, more ugly cries burst forth. I’m reminded of the Proverb that says “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” When my heart is sick, it is not easily cured. There is always a remnant of hope lingering in my soul, one that begs to be fulfilled. Little things that mean nothing to other people remind me constantly of hope deferred, which feels more like hope lost.
While Jesus was beside the sea, surrounded by a large crowd, Jarius, a synagogue ruler, fell at His feet and begged Jesus to heal his daughter. As Jesus makes His way to the little girl, He gets word that she had died and Jesus should no longer be bothered. In response to this news, He tells Jarius, “Do not fear, only believe.”
Man, that’s hard. “Do not fear, only believe.” But Jesus, the girl is dead! These people know how to tell if someone is dead or not. It’s done. Dead is dead.” So even on the other side of the cross, and even with the knowledge that Jesus has “raise from the dead'' power, our minds still can’t wrap around the possibility that God is still in the resurrection business. He can resurrect our hopes and our dreams if we override our fear with belief. Belief in the impossible. Belief in the perfect love, power and provision of our Father.
But the key to doing this is removing the doubters. When Jesus got word that she was dead, He knew a miracle was coming but the miracle needed faith. And so Scripture tells us “He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter and James and John.” Only his inner circle, the most faithful and loyal could journey with Him. When He arrived at the house and proclaimed that the girl was just sleeping, the crowd that gathered there laughed at him. But what did Jesus do? He kicked them all out and took just the parents and His three in to the child.
If we want to see Jesus resurrect our crushed hopes and long-gone dreams, we have to put all the doubt outside. Miracles can’t thrive in the toxic environment of doubt. Doubt suffocates. Doubt sucks the air out from the chambers of our hearts.
Sometimes the doubt comes from the people around us. We hear their voices saying it is dead, move on. They often sound right because from where you’re standing, it seems like the only plausible thing. I don’t make room for a God who parts the Red Sea and brings down Jericho walls.
Sometimes the doubt comes from within. Even though I consider myself whole-brained, I often operate from the logical side. Two plus two always equals four. Period! But somehow the answer is five.
The problem isn’t my math, it’s my vision. It’s clouded by doubt. I think I see the number two, but it's really a three. I simply saw it wrong, like when I go to the eye doctor and have to read the lowest line on the chart. I say what I think it is, but because my vision is weak, I read some of the letters wrong. Again, what I see as a two is really a three, and so my conclusion that the equation equals four is based on the wrong data. In our doubts, we often conclude something we perceive as fact and then we operate from that conclusion.
Maybe we think it’s taken TOO long, the options seem TOO limited, and the mountain seems TOO high to climb. Our too feelings become definitive with no room for a God who made humans from dust.
As I’ve wrestled with my own TOOs that turn my doubts into never gonna happen, I’ve had to immerse myself in Scripture and make a decision to pray. You see, my logical mind tells me my request is beyond prayer, or I get tired of praying because it’s been too long. Sometimes, it’s just too heart-breaking to pray. I tell myself I can’t handle any more tears. I can’t handle keeping this hope in my heart because I get sicker and sicker, and I want to be well, so I let it go. If you don’t hope for it, then it can’t make your heart sick, right?
But that thinking has to be put outside the door. So I’m praying, I’m hoping, and I’m reminding God of what He said in His Word. I wait in longing for the tree of life that comes when a desire is fulfilled.
Prayer Starter
Father, thank you for the way that you speak life into my heart through your Word. Help me to cling closely to the definitive truth found in your Scriptures, not in my own thoughts. Help me lean into prayer like never before, trusting that Your intentions for me are good because you are a good Father who gives good gifts to your children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dig Deeper
Proverbs 13:12 ”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (ESV)
Reflect
What prayer have you been holding back from God? What would you ask for if you had no doubts?
