To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NIV)
Does doubt ever grip your heart? Last winter, I faced the longest months of snow and cold. The snow arrived in November and when March arrived snow blanketed the ground like an overstuffed duvet cover. Green grass and colorful flowers seemed so far away even though April brings spring showers and May brings flowers.
Spring always returns, but when winter drags on and on, it's easy to wonder if it will. I longed to see baby grass blades poking through the warmed soil. I even grew excited at the thought of dandelions raising their sunny faces to the blue sky. But each day marched onward and all I saw was white.
We face all kinds of seasons as we walk through this life. We experience happy seasons, sad seasons, hard seasons, and doubting seasons. These periods of time can put our belief in God to work in our circumstances or us to the test. Just like I knew winter could not last perpetually, it felt like it would. Feelings and truth often war with one another for priority in our hearts and minds. Sometimes feelings take truth captive.
When doubt creeps into our hearts, it's easy to forget the hope we have in Jesus. Unfortunately, we sometimes judge God’s love for us based on how well he performs in our lives. When our desperate prayers for relief or an instant miracle don’t get answered the way we want them to, we can grow bitter and frustrated. These two responses are like chains attached to our hands and feet. They clink and clank with each step, serving to taunt us and remind us about our doubts.
But our doubts give us the most beautiful opportunity to stand in God's promises. He is our Rock and Refuge, the Beginning, and the End. He is our Sustaining Bread of Life and Living Water. He is our Hope and Everlasting Peace. He is with us and comforts us. He leads us like a shepherd. We recall and remember God’s promised presence in our lives so we can stand with faith in our present.
When we hold onto these truths, they guide us to knowing God in a deeper, more truthful way. There will be things we don't understand such as suffering and healing, miracles and prayers, but when we abide in God’s word, we find everything we long for in every season. If we can hold onto Jesus and not cling to our lack of understanding, Jesus eventually reveals what he wants us to see, even if it’s himself and not our desperate need for why. Faith moves us toward understanding, and faith is what we need to keep on believing even when we cannot see.
In this passage, Jesus encouraged his followers to obey and live by his words. Past faith and experiences serve as reminders of God’s faithfulness, but it is our day-to-day relationship with him that carries us through current seasons. Abiding in Jesus through good seasons and hard seasons means we stand committed to the message of forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
There will be seasons in our lives that last and last. We may wonder if we will ever see the sunshine again. We may think we will remain spiritually barren and never bear fruit. We may wrestle with accepting our current season and miss out on the peace surrender to God brings. God works in our hearts, even in seasons that appear dark. He works behind the scenes, and while we wait, we abide in him and trust him when we cannot see.
Holy God,
I need you so much because there is so much I don't understand. I'm choosing to cling to you and to believe you are who you say you are. You are my Lord, my God, my friend, and my Savior. I'm believing in you regardless of what the world says about you or what my circumstances shout at me. I'm believing and abiding in you. Set me follow you, to love you, and to trust you more and more.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
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Jessica Van Roekel loves the upside-down life of following Jesus as she journeys to wholeness through brokenness. As an author, speaker, and worship leader, she uses her gifts and experiences to share God’s transformative power to rescue, restore, and renew. She longs for you to know that rejection doesn’t have to define or determine your future when placed in God’s healing hands. Find out more reframingrejectionbook.
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