Sometimes Christian experience can be dungeon-like. It’s not all glamorous, nor is it one continual high! Some days our hearts can be heavy when doubts invade our mind. If it happened to the best of them, it can happen to me.
The Lord Jesus said there had not been a prophet greater than John the Baptist. Thousands flocked to the wilderness and to the Jordan to hear John preach, as he boldly declared the message of God. It was John the Baptist who confidently announced: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He even had the distinction of baptizing Jesus.
But the circumstances of his life changed – just like our circumstances can change quickly and dramatically. Now John is languishing in Herod’s prison. Dark, damp and depressing. As the days turn into weeks and time drags on, he calls his men to him and says: “Go ask Jesus this question:
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? Luke 7:19
You can almost see his hands gesturing his doubts. You can see the face of a dark-thinking, disillusioned young prophet in his thirties, as
he wonders if he was completely off-track. How different were his circumstances in a lonely dingy prison cell, from the days of fame when people flocked to hear him!
Did the Lord Jesus dismiss John’s doubts? Did He ignore them, or did He send him back a scolding response for having such thoughts? No! He immediately sent him words of reassurance.
Jesus told the men to go back to the cell and tell John:
“The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. I’m the One! Keep focused on Me. Don’t lose heart.”
The last couple of phrases were added but I think they convey the message Jesus wanted John to hear.
Sometimes believers have very dark thoughts and wonder if it’s all for real or not. Others wring their hands in despair, wondering if they ‘believed’ the right way or not. We can have doubts. We can get really down at times and have some awfully dark thoughts.
Do what John did if you are experiencing dark thoughts or doubts. John went to the right source to cure his doubts. Go back to Christ Himself and re-discover Him. When we go to Him with our fears and doubts, He will reassure us through His Word. When we talk to Him in prayer He will pour in the strength to carry on for the rest of today and then – tomorrow He will supply us with a fresh supply of grace and strength.
Listen to Him whisper in your heart today: “I’m the One. Keep focused on me. Don’t lose heart. I began the good work in you – I will complete it. Trust me.”
There are several reasons why a person may be plagued by doubts. If you would like to read more on why a person may experience doubts, take time to read a more detailed post on doubts entitled Dark, Debilitating Doubts on our website.