Hiding Doubt: Part III

The third installment of Hiding Doubt (click here for part I and here for part II)

God roots our faith in our doubt, our bravery in our fear: it is in weakness that we experience His power. And it is in our sin that we experience His graceful presence. The strongest person is the weakest, the greatest is the least...

"humble yourselves in the sight of God and He will exalt you".

 God never was and never is afraid of our sin.  He actually comes into it and defeats it from the inside out. If you're running away from God or people, you are running away from the opportunity of being completely loved. Our fear, doubt and sin are the first line of a long paragraph of redemption. Consider doubt as the opening remark in a long conversation between you and God. 

Our perfect example is Jesus. Jesus came filled with God's Spirit. He opened the way to reconciliation with God through His perfect life, death and Resurrection on the cross. It was in His weakness on the cross that God's power and forgiveness are melded into one. We are healed by God's weakness.

 "the weakness of God is stronger than men". 

He not only can handle our sin, but He takes it from us and puts His name on it. He does't just touch sin, He places His blood on it. Through Jesus our doubts are made faith, our fears are made brave and our relationship to God and to others is righted through His Spirit. 



 For those in Christ, then, it is not our strengths but our weakness that allow us to overcome in Jesus. 

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?...But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8.35-37).

 Many Christians are liable to dismiss this as old news--but to the degree that we still experience doubt and fear in our relationships, the gospel is both powerful and applicable and personal. Growth will occur as we encounter the relational deficits in our lives and open to the Spirit of God who will lovingly handle our sin with grace and truth. Doubt is the beginning of a healing conversation with God and others--open up to it, it might be bravest and most faithful thing you can do.

For a personal reflection on faith in struggle read "Fruhlingsglaube: faith in spring" on my friends' blog "Watch. Listen. Be."

REFLECT ON THIS:

1 Corinthians 1. 18-31

 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”^[a]

²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks^[b]foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 ²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Q:
1. when you hear the words, "do not fear"...do they mean buck up or open up? Are the compassionate or controlling?

2. Does love include weakness for you? When was the last time you were weak? Were you with people? Were you close to God?

3. What do you think God would say about your weakness, doubt, fear, anger, worry or sin? How has He dealt with it in the past? How is He dealing with it now?