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 When you’re out of money and there are still bills
to pay. When your child is sick and not getting any better. When you
and your spouse seem to be drifting farther apart.
Doubt.
The problem with doubt is that it’s so…emotional. It defies logic.
When doubt hits, reason and intellect go out the window. It’s not
about answers; it’s about relief. We don’t need answers; we need
comfort and resolution. When a loved one dies, we don’t want to know
why they died – we want them back.
In Luke 1, we are introduced to Mary, a young teenage girl about to
get the shock of her life. Her story reminds us that God doesn’t
always provide answers, but He does provide assurances to her and to
all of us that God is bigger than any doubt we might face.
Mary had the assurance of God’s presence. The angel went to her and
said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.
- Luke 1:28
She had the assurance of God’s passion. The angel said to her, “Do
not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God - Luke 1:30
She had the assurance of God’s promises. "You will conceive and give
birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and
will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s
descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." - Luke 1:31-33
She had the assurance of God’s power. “How will this be, Mary asked
the angel, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy
Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. So the Holy one to be born will be called the Son of
God. - Luke 1:34-36
She even had the assurance of God’s people. "At that time Mary got
ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she
entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. - Luke 1:39-40
Mary did not have all her questions answered or all
her fears erased. But there is something really mature and amazing
about her response – “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as
you have said.” - Luke 1:38
The doubt is still there, the questions remain.
But Mary trusted and stepped forward.
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In 1822 a young woman named Charlotte Elliott was
visiting some friends in the west end of London when she met a
preacher named Cesar Malan. He asked her if she was a Christian, and
she said she didn’t want to talk about it. He said, “I did not mean
to offend you, but I want you to know that Jesus wants to save you.”
Several weeks later they met again and Miss Elliott told him that
she wanted to come to Christ, but didn’t know how. Mr. Malan said,
“Just come to Him as you are.”
Taking Malan's advice, Elliott wrote her thoughts down in a poem:
Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
But it was the third verse that really showed her heart (and ours).
Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a
doubt. Fightings within and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come, I
come.
This holiday season, what would it look like for your doubt to
encounter Christmas?
May you find assurance in the Father’s presence. May you know His
deep passion for you. May His promises guard your heart and mind.
May His power give you strength for the day ahead.
And if doubt is not a part of your journey in the part, may you be
one of God’s people in the life of another.
Merry Christmas.
Tracy Thomas, Director of Alumni Relations
Lincoln Christian University
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