WATCHWORD:
35 Then Gamaliel (A respected teacher) said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men (Apostles)! 36 Some time ago there was that fellow, Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. 37 After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” Acts 5:35-39
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Luke 24:38-39a
Meditation:
Overthinking Our Faith
Have you ever felt confident when you think you’re following the will of the Lord, but we don’t know for certainty. Maybe we are lost in a ‘service to others’ mentality, and we work at it, and we pray about it, but then we wonder; is this the mission that the Lord has given me? Is this what he wants me to do? And our doubts swirl around us and we wonder.
With some frequency I have wandered into a quagmire of doubts. Is this the purpose God has for me in response to my serious declaration, ‘send me, Lord.’ If that’s your will, Lord, why do I doubt? Why do I wonder if my concentrating on this purpose, causes me to be blind and deaf to your true mission for me. How would I know?
Then a thought another thought: Do the doubts that come to mind cause resistance requiring a greater resolve, a greater commitment, a strengthening of my faith. For a period of time, I struggled, but then I came around to a strong sense that in my doubts commit me to strengthening my resolve. It’s like an athlete, adding weights to whatever the process is in order to get stronger. Or a runner with stopwatch, exerting himself to beat his previous time. Our doubts are only overcome by our resolve to follow the Lord.
Am I overthinking this? Maybe I spend too much time dwelling on the doubts rather than the resolve. I’m reminded of the Acts 5 passage where Gamaliel cautioned that if (my purpose, my writings) are from God, your doubts will not be able to overthrow or overthink them.
When our doubts seem to be overshadowing our faith, consider them pure joy because it is the Lord strengthening our resolve, our faith. May that be so with each one of us.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you just as I am with a heart that holds both belief and hesitation. You know my thoughts before I even speak them and you aren’t surprised by my questions. I can relate to the comment the man made to Jesus, “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief”. Give me the courage to keep walking, to keep praying, and to anchor my heart in your constant presence, turn these moments of doubt and questioning into an opportunity to draw closer to you and deepen my resolve, my faith. In Jesus name, Amen.
