Beyond the Weekend

May 31 | Trust vs Doubt

May 31, 2018

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:6

Read: James 1:6-8

Listen: James 1

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Those reading the letter from James had some very honest questions and qualms with their present circumstances. They had heartache and were confused. They didn’t know what to do. It would be reasonable for them to wonder why God didn’t rescue them from persecution. Why do they have to leave their families, does God care, and is He even listening? King David struggled with some of the same questions. In Psalm 77, he wonders will God’s love vanish forever, will his promises fail, has God forgotten to be merciful, and has he withheld compassion?

James suggests that the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. He doesn’t mean that we can never have doubts and never wrestle with questions like those of King David. He wants his readers to understand that the story is bigger than their present circumstances and that God can be trusted. When God rescued Israel in the Old Testament, they would take stones and put them in a pile as a memorial. These “standing stones” were a reminder that God had saved them there. They could look back and see the faithfulness of God in their past, knowing that he would be faithful for the present and future.

Today, we don’t use standing stones. Rarely do we memorialize the faithfulness of God. But we all have experienced his provision. We can look on our past and see that God showed up for us many times. And we can remember that he gave his Son for us. When we feel like giving up on God—we can look back at his faithfulness in our past to trust him with our present and our future.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Grab a notebook, journal or your mobile device. Write this sentence, “I can trust God because ______.” Spend some time filling in that blank with everything that comes to mind. Write all the ways God has been faithful. Then spend some time thanking God.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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