When Doubt Creeps In
From the Armor Series
“Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Genesis 16:2 CSB
Hey friend!
Waiting. I have a very difficult battle with waiting. I’m impatient in nature so the struggle is definitely on when I must wait. I don’t necessarily mind if I have to wait for a table at a restaurant or if I’m stopped at a traffic light. These instances might inconvenience me a little but I can usually roll with it. But it’s a completely different struggle if I have to wait on life’s major situations. Can you relate?
Earlier in the week we discussed a foundational truth necessary for wearing our armor into battle. When we aren’t firmly planted in the foundational truths of God’s character, the enemy can sway us from taking God at His word. Satan’s number one goal is to get us to doubt God and His promises.
And when we doubt God, it opens the door for the enemy to do what he does best. He gets into our mind and starts whispering lies that God isn’t trustworthy or reliable. Pretty soon, we become convinced that we need to take matters into our own hands. After all, if God was going to make good on his promises – then it looks like He would have already done something by now.
I don’t know about you but I have plenty of my own life stories where it seemed as if God had gone MIA in my situation. I couldn’t hear him or see His activity in my circumstance and was left wondering why he would promise something only to not make good on His promise. Ever been there?
But then my mind drifts to a certain married couple in the Bible who struggled with waiting on God and doubting that He would make good on His promise. We find the story of Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis.
Long story short, God promised Abraham and Sarah a son who would carry on God’s promised plan. When years and years went by and Sarah was still without child and it seemed that God had changed His mind, they both took matters into their own hands. Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with her servant, Hagar, and so he does as it says in Genesis 16:2, “Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”
Even though the Bible doesn’t give the exact thought process of Sarah and how she arrived at the solution of allowing her servant to sleep with Abraham, I have to wonder what was going on in her heart and mind. What lies was the enemy whispering in her ear? What thoughts was keeping her up at night? What emotions had her tangled up in knots? Where was her good God and His promises as she celebrated another birthday –inching her way past childbearing years?
Sweet friend, I really can relate to Sarah and her struggle with waiting and doubting. I, too, have had countless sleepless nights wondering where God was and what He was up to. And in the darkest of nights, I have listened to the lies of the enemy as he convinced me that my God had left the building and wasn’t to be trusted.
This is why it is so important to meditate on who God is and what He says in His word. And why it’s important to know how to stand firm on God’s word so we don’t fall prey to the enemy’s lies. Because friend, the enemy is on the prowl – seeking who he can devour. Don’t believe a word he says. You may not be able to trace God’s activity, but we can trust his heart!
God,
You are so good. Your word is faithful and true. Give me a hunger to know you more. Teach me who you are. Help me to stand firm when the enemy comes along trying to get me to doubt who you are and what you say. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“Look, I am the Lord, the God over every creature. Is anything too difficult for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 CSB
Reflection:
What area in your marriage do you struggle with doubt and find it hard to trust God with? What is one thing you can do today to take God at His word and rest in His promises?