Key Text: Luke 24: 13 – 51
Additional Texts: James 1: 5- 8; Judges 6: 14-23, 33 – 40; Judges 7; John 20: 24 – 30; John 21: 1 – 14; Genesis 17: 17; Genesis 18: 12; Genesis 21: 1-7; Matthew 26: 56
Do you buy the best brands for the assurance they bring? Do you look out for solid guarantees and warranties when you consider major purchases? If you do, you’re like me in that regard – I like the assurance that what I am led to believe about a product or service is sustainable. Yet, even the best brands disappoint us. We expect a standard of service which we sometimes realise is farfetched.
As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. Many people choose to disbelieve the Bible as they have no proof of its dominant truth that Jesus actually rose from death and ascended to heaven. If you are a believer, before you think of such people in a condescending way, consider too that you may presently have, or have had in the past, moments of doubt, even if you have an overarching faith in God. You wonder if God is who He says He is, and whether He will honour His promises.
This was the case of the disciples in Luke 24 who had witnessed the turmoil that Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection created in their society. Without the revelation that He was risen, they were downcast and talked about all the recent events with heavy hearts. Jesus later appeared to them and without recognising Him, they shared their concerns with Him. During the conversation, they referred to Jesus as a prophet who the religious leaders used their influence to have sentenced to death, and also one who they thought was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. When Jesus referred to them as foolish doubters, He reminded them that the suffering had to precede the glory. He quoted Scriptures which reinforced His identity and this seeming stranger sat to eat with them; only on breaking bread with them did they recognise that it was Jesus. They later saw Him again, and were terrified (along with those who they were sharing the first experience with), thinking they had seen a ghost. Jesus invited them to look at His body and touch Him to verify that He was alive, asked for food and ate it in their presence. Afterwards, He opened their minds to the Scriptures about Him and the fact that they must be fulfilled. Jesus reminded them that His resurrection brought hope of forgiveness to anyone who received it, and commissioned them to be His witnesses.
We have the benefit of the entire Bible including the resurrection, but these believers on the road to Emmaus did not; they had heard of a coming Messiah but had believed that He would be a political deliverer. They knew that Jesus was special, but were not fully convinced of His superior resurrection power. We know that later, these believers and the remaining eleven disciples witnessed to others about Him, after realising they had engaged with the resurrected Jesus. Jesus is risen and ascended to be with the Father and if you heard this in Church for your entire life, it should be a deeply engraved belief.
Yet, if we are honest, doubt about Biblical promises (including God’s covenant to honour His Word) is not uncommon, even in believers who know and believe the truth about Jesus. Though we believe in Jesus, we also face situations which cause us, like the believers on the road to Emmaus, to lose our focus on God. In such moments, we too are downcast and unable to fully appreciate God’s presence with us. All we can see are the signs around us that things are not going our way, and this is exacerbated when everyone else around us is able to see the same signs of gloom and agree with our doubts!
In these moments, when we struggle with doubt, let us consider that three realities exist:
1. Until we overcome the underlying reasons that lead to it, we are prone to doubt the promises of God;
2. God can be trusted;
3. God is able to settle doubts and use former doubters for His glory.
The disciples in Luke 24 doubted that Jesus was The Risen Messiah, but later, through more time with God in which He revealed Himself to them again, fully believed and immediately began to share the good news with others. Indeed, they realised that they were distraught amiss – Jesus, who they felt was dead and gone forever, was there with them even in their period of doubt! The pain, disappointment and trauma of the crucifixion prevented them from seeing His presence immediately, but they were blessed to have a patient Saviour who helped them to eventually recognise Him at work and have a different outlook on their situation. What they felt was hopeless was actually filled with hope.
In other Scriptures, Abraham and Sarah doubted that they’d be parents, but God kept His promise to them (Romans 4). Thomas, one of the twelve disciples who travelled with Jesus for three years, who also witnessed the many miracles He performed and heard every time that He predicted His death, initially doubted that He was alive, but continued to fellowship with other believers, and was met by God Himself while he struggled with doubt. His doubts were settled and he helped to spread the gospel. Gideon doubted that he could be a mighty warrior, but asked God to help him settle his fears; with God’s help (having his vast army depleted), Gideon led a smaller army of 300 men and defeated the Midianites. You, likewise, have probably struggled to hold on to your beliefs about Jesus or His promises in the Word; God is able to help you to overcome the doubts and serve Him in great ways.
To overcome the doubts, it seemed that all these men and women in the Bible had to keep seeking God. None of them walked away from faith altogether. They continued to fellowship with other believers and still sought God, even with uncertainty about when or how they would get answers. Why is this significant? It is a charge to us to do the same. It is not a license to blatantly challenge the Word, but to accept that we all face different struggles and doubt may be one of them, which with God’s help, we may overcome. It is a charge to look again – continue to seek God when He seems absent or silent.
Likewise, note God’s patience and willingness to respond to doubters and meet them in their doubting seasons. God knows our hearts and discerns when there is scope to trust Him fully. He knows us better than we know ourselves and purposes to enable us to overcome barriers to fully trusting Him. When Jesus helped them to perceive His presence, this enabled them to view their circumstances with a different lens; He helped them to see that the answer they sought was granted. They wanted Jesus to be alive and He is! They wanted to discover that the chaotic and gruesome Passover week had a different outcome and it did. This does not mean that God always grants us our desires, but it does mean that sometimes trauma, overwhelming problems or suffering may cause us to miss glimpses of hope or deliverance. Nonetheless, Jesus does not panic or condemn us in such moments, but willingly helps us to overcome these moments as He did for the disciples. Look again! Perhaps you will encounter additional Scriptures about your situation that will reveal more of God’s thoughts to you. Perhaps God is using your situation to mature you. Perhaps your questions about faith will be answered by the Saviour Himself.
It is not uncommon that doubt may lead to restrained or minimised prayers too; praying is not easy to God when you feel He will not listen. Nonetheless, this dialogue with God through studying the Scriptures away from distractions, listening to what He is saying and telling Him what is in your heart allows you to access those moments when doubts may be settled. If all you can muster is a line, one minute or five today, tell Him your doubts and ask Him to help you to overcome them. He hears. Look again – seek Him again. I pray you will have an encounter with Him to help you to overcome your doubts.
Heartfelt Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for your patience with me when I doubt Your Word. I understand that You are not harsh and exacting, and will compassionately allow me to voice my concerns to You. I sometimes doubt that You ….
Please help me to trust You fully and overcome these doubts as You did for the disciples after Your resurrection, Gideon and others. You are Lord with full control of my circumstances; mould me into one who stands confidently in Your Word. I entrust the situation regarding ….to You, and pray that Your will be done. I ask these mercies in Your Son’s – Jesus’ name. Amen.
