Friday, August 20, 2010

The Mirror of Doubt

“And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”  2 Corinthians 3:18

If you were a walking mirror, and on one side you looked in and the other side was the reflection, what would people see as you came towards them?  Would they see the world, sin, and self, or would they see Jesus? 

“Lord if you can really do all you say you can, then I ask that You please heal me.”

This was a prayer prayed by a young mother who was just diagnosed with cancer. She has two healthy vibrant little kids and a hardworking, loving husband.

As her and her husband made their way home from the doctor that day she immediately began to hold the mirror of doubt. Doubt that God could and would deliver and heal her.

As for many of us we too pick up this mirror of doubt. Our situation might not be as life changing as this young woman’s, but to each of us, there are situations in our lives when we begin to question the power and faithfulness of the Lord. Maybe it is our jobs, a miscarriage, a broken marriage, an illness, a death, so on and so forth.

Whatever the reason, the reflection reveals our limited knowledge of the Almightiness of God and our lack of complete dependence on God.  

What is it that causes us to hold this mirror of doubt-Satan. Satan wants our reflection to cause others to stumble, to begin to doubt God’s power and love, and to question God.

Our God is a huge God who can do far more than we could ever begin to comprehend. He supplies our needs in ways we cannot even imagine, and in spite of our doubts He never fails to follow through and He always calms the storms and brings us safely ashore.

James compares the mirror of doubt to an unsettled wave. “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:6-8

Are you in the middle of a storm and all that people see reflecting from you is doubt?

We always have to remember, Christ, through all His suffering, never doubted whether or not His Father would deliver Him. Nor should we…we will be delivered, we will be healed, maybe not in the way we expect, but in the way that is best for us and according to the will of God.

Prayer: Lord give us the type of faith that can move mountains. Lord may we live in confident dependence and trust in You no matter the storm. Amen