Doubt, Faith and Hope – by Greg Albrecht
According to an old story, years ago there was a severe drought in the farm country of Texas. The people were in despair, so they asked the pastor of their little church to pray for rain. The pastor decided to have a town-wide meeting and invite everyone – even people who were not members of his church – to come and pray for rain.
On the day of the prayer service the little church building was packed to the rafters with desperate people. The pastor climbed into the pulpit and looked out on the assembly.
He asked, “Why are we all here today?”
A woman cried out, “We’ve come to pray for rain.” Another person said, “Amen!”
The pastor looked back at them and said, “Well, it ain’t going to work.”
“What? Why? What do you mean?!?” they said in unison.
The pastor responded, “You don’t have faith.”
No response for a few seconds, and then the crowd grew defensive. Several people shouted back at the pastor, “How do you know we don’t have faith?”
“Not one of you brought an umbrella with you today.”
Let’s talk a little bit about faith in the face of doubt and despair – courage and convictions in spite of adversity and hardship – hope even though there is no evidence of anything to hope for.
Let’s talk a bit about carrying an umbrella even though there are no signs of rain. Let’s talk about faith against all odds.
Just before Jesus poured out himself for you and me, just before he opened his arms in embrace, returning good for evil, responding on his cross with love and goodness to the hatred and violence of humanity, in his humanity he had doubts:
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:39-42
Following Jesus is not a walk in the park – the Jesus Way is not a day at the beach. Jesus never said it would be. When disease and depression circle around you like spiritual vultures, when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need not fear doubt and despair for the Lord is with you. The Lord does not abandon you because your energy and strength has disappeared and all seems to be lost.
Let’s talk a little bit about always keeping your umbrella handy even though the weather is hot and dry and your spiritual life seems parched and about ready to dry up and blow away. Faith against all odds.
Doubt is often thought of as the place where the fickle and faithless live, but doubt can be and often is an important ingredient within our faith – doubt is very much a part of courage and conviction. We see folks all over the world who have no doubts whatsoever – they are so filled with religious certainty and convictionthey are ready to kill anyone who disagrees with them. They “know” their beliefs are right and good and that their way is the only divinely directed way of life. Such individuals would see doubt as an enemy of faith, or perhaps even as the opposite of faith. Ironically, such individuals need doubt in their lives leading them to question dogmatic, entrenched convictions that are erroneous, dangerous and toxic. Doubt is an essential part of maturing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Courage and conviction extend far beyond strong will and resolution. The word “courage” is derived from the French “coeur” meaning heart and core. Coeur is all about being full hearted… courage is all about conviction in the face of danger, the unknown and the overwhelming.
Conviction and doubt coexist in dynamic tension – one might be fully convicted but still have doubts. It’s not contradictory to say that one might be filled with belief even while harboring doubts – conviction and courage in the face of fear and doubt is an eyes-wide-open faith.
We often speak of blind faith, which characterizes belief that flies in the face of all evidence. We often see blind, unthinking, unreasonable faith in action in the lives of fanatics and extremists who have no doubts. On the other hand, Christ-centered conviction and courage is exemplified by those who believe yet at the same time admit their doubts and are open to new perspectives and insight.
People who have blind faith and are absolutely convicted in an unreasonable way can become a menace and danger to others because their faith is blind and without reasonable, Christ-centered foundation. Dogmatism in the face of all evidence can easily, and often does, morph into fanaticism and extremism.
Conviction is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional word. Conviction can mean to declare someone guilty of a crime, or to speak of one’s foundational beliefs. It shares the same root as the word “convince” – so that convictions are those things about which we are absolutely convinced.
Faith sees what hope promises. The collaboration between hope and faith allows us to see beyond the pain and drudgery of the present into the glorious future. Whenever disappointment drags us down, and whenever failure drains us, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) will fill you and me with hope. We might say that Christ-centered hope is an injection against the wounds of the here and now – it’s like a flu shot. A flu shot doesn’t mean we won’t get the flu, but the Christ in us injects us with hope enabling us to see beyond the misery and aches and pains when flu does get us down.
Picking up our cross and following Jesus is not for the faint hearted. We must make a commitment and with Christ-centered courage and conviction, Christ in us imbues us with hope and faith for the journey, even when it takes us through dark valleys of death and despair.
Doubt and trials can lead us to deeper faith, greater spiritual maturity and more Christ-like convictions. Doubt borne of adversity and hardship need not be our enemy, but rather a stepping stone, albeit painful and difficult, toward, as those great lyrics describe, a “closer walk with Thee.”
Whatever difficulty might be present in your life right now – whatever challenge you may be facing, Jesus Christ is with you and in you – Jesus Christ is the hope of glory. He will fill you and nourish you and strengthen you with faith, hope, courage and Christ-centered convictions.
Remember that faith and hope involve trust. Faith and hope have more to do with the heart than with the head. Faith and hope, given to us by the grace of God and in and through Christ Jesus our Lord, is all about radical trust in God. Faith and hope give us an umbrella even though the weather forecast calls for nothing but scorching heat and continuing drought.
Faith and hope are more about trusting in God than about being right about doctrinal statements or dogmas. When our risen Lord Jesus Christ lives in us and we in him, no power on heaven or earth can quench our faith and hope. Faith and hope apart from the grace and love of God is meaningless, as Paul tells us, If I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).
With thanksgiving for each and every one of you, and for the wonderful work that God is doing in your lives, so that he is producing his workmanship – he is crafting his handiwork in your life. His grace and love flow in and through you increasingly, as you mature in him, so that your faith and hope and courage and convictions all flow from the fountainhead of his love and grace. Thanks be to God … thank you for being a part of our ongoing work as we point people around this world to Jesus Christ, the hope of glory.
Pray for rain and carry your umbrella of faith and hope! FAITH AGAINST ALL ODDS!
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from March 2019
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