{"id":10437,"date":"2012-06-21T17:15:15","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T17:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=10437"},"modified":"2024-04-04T00:43:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T00:43:02","slug":"doubt-in-the-madness-of-the-perfect-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/believe\/doubt-in-the-madness-of-the-perfect-storm","title":{"rendered":"Doubt in the Madness of the Perfect Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

by Steven Gledhill<\/em> <\/span>for FREEdom for MEdom Project<\/span><\/p>\n

O Lord<\/span>, what are human beings that you should notice them,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>mere mortals that you should think about them?<\/span> <\/span>Psalm 144:3 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you feel guilty or faithless before God when you doubt, or wonder if he is listening when you pray?<\/p>\n

A father brought his tormented son to Jesus and said,\u00a0“If you can<\/em> do anything, take pity on us and help us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can?\u201d\u00a0said Jesus.\u00a0\u201cEverything is possible for one who believes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Immediately the boy\u2019s father exclaimed, \u201cI do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/span>Mark 9:22-24 (NLT)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A PERFECT STORM<\/span> is an expression that describes an event where<\/span>
\n a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.<\/span>
\nFreeDictionary.com<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This subject is very personal to me right now. I am in the midst of the perfect storm. My family is facing challenges we would not have imagined before coming into them. There is injury and heartbreak. There is wonder about what God is doing. What is the big picture? No, really God… what is it? Why this? Why take us through this? Why us, God? Why me? We are in crisis. I am in crisis.
\nwhen troubles come your way<\/em><\/span>
\nWhat I want to convey to you is that I am desperately needing to believe for me and my family today; but it is really difficult. Let’s look at some famous Scripture involving Jesus and how he dealt with storms in the lives of those he loved.
\nconsider it an opportunity for great joy<\/em><\/span>
\nOne day Jesus said to his disciples, \u201cLet\u2019s cross to the other side of the lake.\u201d So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down<\/em> for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, \u201cMaster, Master, we\u2019re going to drown!\u201d When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, \u201cWhere is your faith?\u201d The disciples were terrified and amazed. \u201cWho is this man?\u201d they asked each other. \u201cWhen he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!\u201d <\/span>Luke 8:22-25 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\".<\/a>As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, \u201cLet\u2019s cross to the other side of the lake.\u201d So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, \u201cTeacher, don\u2019t you care that we\u2019re going to drown?\u201d When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, \u201cSilence! Be still!\u201d Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, \u201cWhy are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?\u201d The disciples were absolutely terrified. \u201cWho is this man?\u201d they asked each other. \u201cEven the wind and waves obey him!\u201d<\/span><\/span> Mark 4:35-41 (NLT)<\/span><\/span>
\nrejoice in the Lord always<\/em><\/span>
\nThese are two versions of the same story told by disciples Luke and Mark. In Luke’s account of the story, he writes that “Jesus settled down<\/em> for a nap.” The first three years and the last three years of the life of Jesus were in so many ways the perfect storm. Throughout much of that time there were people who had set out to kill him. Throughout his three-year ministry, Jesus would endure great battles and struggles that would define his role as ambassador of love and peace. Starting with the chosen twelve disciples, Jesus was understood by believers in his day to be leading his people out from under the thumb of the Roman Empire. It would be another 2000 years before Israel would be the nation that it is today. Jesus lived out the perfect storm as intended by God and it was about time he settled down for some rest and relaxation.
\nthe Lord is near<\/em><\/span>
\nMark lets us know that Jesus was very tired so he found a place toward the back of the boat to settle down, laying his head on a cushion to unwind and get some much needed rest. Jesus, in the midst of his stressful task-driven ministry, took some time off now and then to settle down; perhaps to decompress some as he prepared to fulfill his calling. You might say that Jesus understood throughout his life and ministry that he would wind up suffering miserably as the<\/em> martyr for mankind. It would be fair to suggest that being acutely aware of the adversity to come was emotionally troubling to Jesus… disturbing even. As much as he depended on the Father for sustenance physically, psychologically, and spiritually; as much as he was motivated by love and driven by a heart of compassion for the sick and impoverished; fully human, there were likely times when he was alone with his thoughts considering his impending torture and suffering on so many levels that I cannot begin to comprehend.<\/p>\n

\".<\/a>While crossing the Sea of Galilee, a large lake capable of damaging storms and shipwreck, the disciples confronted just that; a raging storm with waves crashing into their fishing boat, winds tossing it about like a toy. Jesus, I presume, was sound asleep, knocked out by stress and fatigue, getting some much needed rest. Both Luke and Mark, who were in the boat, wrote that the waves were coming over and water was filling the boat. How could Jesus sleep through that? Wasn’t he getting wet? Imagine what the disciples thought.<\/p>\n

\".<\/a>“Master, Master, we\u2019re going to drown… don\u2019t you care?!”
\ndo not be anxious about anything<\/em><\/span>
\nI have felt like those guys in recent days captured in the madness of the perfect storm. Where is Jesus? Where is he when I need him? Is he napping? Well, of course he is alive, awake, and alert but he must be spinning so many plates at one time throughout the business of this planet and the universe that some of the plates are bound to fall; and this<\/em> plate (me) is about to shatter into pieces.
\nbut from a grateful heart<\/em><\/span>
\nI have been through periods when I have wrestled with my feelings of intense concern, doubt, and fear. I have had this knot in my gut. It isn’t there all of the time. Since God has strengthened me and comforted me, the knot-in-the-gut feeling has eased but the butterflies often remain. I have drawn on past experiences when I needed for God to calm the storm in my life and he did. But you know… there are storms, and then there are storms<\/em> as the waves crash into me tossing me about. I feel drenched at times under the waves. I need for Jesus to stand up confidently in the madness of my storm and command the wind, the thunder, and the lightening to cease. That’s what I need. And who knows better than I do what I need?
\npray about everything<\/em><\/span>
\nThe disciples, in the rage of their storm, must have been screaming at Jesus to get his attention. The winds and the waves howled angrily and looked to swallow them into the depths of their crisis. But since that didn’t seem enough to wake him, they shouted at him, “Do you even care that we’re drowning… overcome… about to be swallowed up?!”<\/p>\n

Do you feel sometimes like you’re about to be swallowed up by devastation, depression, and despair?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Courtesy\u00a0of Adrian Rogers from<\/span> Life Worth Living<\/em><\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When the disciples saw Him (Jesus) walking on the water,<\/em><\/span>
\n what was their biggest problem?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The water.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus, in essence, was saying, \u201cWhat looks like is going to be over your head, is already under My feet.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

What are some problems that are drowning you in fear, in discouragement, in sadness today?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Give them to Jesus.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Remember what is over your head is under His feet.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I am glad we have the testimonies of those who followed Jesus the man through thick and thin. I am thankful that we have stories of those who were actually with him and knew him; had seen the healings, the miracles, the deliverances, and most of all, the resurrection (of Lazarus), and still felt doubt while in the relentless winds and waves of the storms in their lives. They may not have known the Spirit of God coursing through their beings, but they had God in their company in the person of Jesus Christ. And yet still, when up against it, even Christ’s closest companions felt<\/em> doubt and uncertainty.
\nfor you know that when\u00a0your faith is tested<\/em><\/span>
\nLet’s talk about that; the doubt and fear we encounter as people of faith. Jesus said to those closest to him who believed, \u201cWhy<\/em> are you afraid? Do you still<\/em> have no faith? Where<\/em> is your faith?\u201d This is interesting to me; the contrast between what the disciples said to Jesus and what Jesus said to them. When the disciples cried out, “Don’t you (even) care?” it’s like asking, “Where are you when I need you?” The reply of Jesus could be paraphrased, “Where are you<\/em> when you need me<\/em>?” as if to imply, “What condition are you in while you’re looking for me?” I don’t think he is issuing judgment so much as he is concerned that fear and doubt does so much more to intensify our pain and struggle.
\nyour endurance has a chance to grow<\/em><\/span>
\nI suppose you might say that “Doubt in the Madness of the Perfect Storm” is the sequel to my most recent article, The Problem of Pain… A Study of the Father’s Discipline<\/a>. In that article, I wrote the following about faith and doubt in response to Scripture from the book of James in the New Testament.<\/p>\n

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty<\/em> 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.<\/span> <\/span>James 1:5-8 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt<\/em>, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable<\/em> in all they do.<\/span> <\/span>James 1:5-8 (NIV)<\/span><\/span>
\nthe peace of God<\/em><\/span>
\nI believe that James is writing that God does not find fault with my emotionally-driven fear and anxiety when I come seeking from Him everything from wisdom to a miracle. Because should I doubt God’s ability to engage, work, and move in my circumstances due to an intellectual conclusion of disbelief that God is God, and I turn to alternative remedies to manage fear and anxiety, then I am wavering in the gusty winds of divided loyalty. It is then I am double-minded and unstable in pursuit of resolution. It is then that I am lost like sheep without a shepherd. While James writes then that I ought not to expect to receive anything from the Lord it doesn’t mean that I won’t receive from Him. James is speaking about my state of mind. He is saying that I will have lowered my expectations of what God can and will do.
\nbeyond comprehension<\/em><\/span>
\nIf I have concluded that I probably will not receive much of anything from God, why would I expect to receive much of anything from God? There really won’t be any relief from pain, fear, and worry should I altogether not believe in what God can<\/em> do. It’s common sense at that point. I’m an emotional mess from the empty conclusions I have drawn intellectually about what God can and will do. Absent is the hopeful anticipation of God’s intervention that would have a calming effect on my nerves.
\nwill guard your heart and mind<\/em><\/span>
\nThank God I believe intellectually and spiritually in what God can do. Too often, though, I question my faith because I doubt on an emotional<\/em> level. I need to stop the practice of riding my feelings until I feel guilty that I doubt God. I feel guilty doubting God because of what I know and believe intellectually (in relationship with Christ) God can<\/em> do; I struggle emotionally with what I believe God will<\/em> do. Is he willing? Is there something wrong with me? I think that’s what it means to have faith in the midst of doubt because of the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). What I feel<\/em> isn’t necessarily a reflection of what I know. What I doubt emotionally isn’t necessarily a reflection of what I know intellectually and believe spiritually in my soul.
\nin Christ Jesus<\/em> <\/span>
\nThings unseen… hmmm… You know what? God loves me so much that to confront my fear and worry, He gave me something I could see. It was a visible practical manifestation that God is at work in the process. While in the midst of a “mini-crisis” that wasn’t really a crisis at all but it felt like one at the time, my 90 plus-year-old mother-in-law told me she was praying that God is faithful. With my real crisis in mind I responded to her sarcastically , “We’ll see” (wondering what God is up to that this crisis is happening at all in the first place). When the “mini-crisis” was averted inexplicably, as I shared it with my wife, she said, “My mom prayed.” Instantly I broke down and wept as the Holy Spirit of God reminded me to trust him to be at work in the process. I shared my mini-crisis experience (in the midst of the actual crisis) with a dear counselor friend who told me, “God gave you something tangible that you can hang your hat on.”<\/p>\n