Second Guessing God ~ Chap. 1

There is an expression that comes to mind whenever I talk to someone who, like me, has had a "dark night of the soul" (St. John of the Cross, Pg. 26)...

"All is fair in love and war."

The first time this phrase appears in any form in literature goes all the way back to the sixteenth century...

The hard part is that doubt goes back much farther than that.

If we were "fair" and looked honestly at the struggle of faith and doubt we'd have to go all the way back...way, way back...to a little place we know as Eden.

Doubt's origin is in the question posed by the enemy of our souls when he addresses the lovely pair who knew only full fellowship with God.

They walked with God, every day, and every evening they spoke to him.

Yet... Satan asked...

"Did God Say..." (Genesis 3:1) There it is...in full bloom right from the start.

And they doubted God's love and their relationship with Him.

To eliminate the option of doubt is the remove choice. And God created us with the only true action which allows us to love...Choice.

I'm sure that topic alone could wear out the greatest of theologians, so for the sake of our conversation, I'm going to assume, we all agree, man has the ability to make choices.

So then...does God.

And that's where we believe the "fair" seems to be missing.

Let me ask at this point, that you get a notebook, something with which you can begin a journey of careful contemplation.

Over the next eleven (+/-) posts I invite you to write your thoughts as we work through this book and examine the rollercoaster of emotion, faith, and thought.

If you're not there now, great. Do this little exercise for the sake of those who you are currently helping or those who will come to you in the future.

Brian begins his book with an attention-getting phrase. What do you think of this admission..."The year before I graduated from seminary, I lost my faith in God."

It's this bump in the road that led him to a "construction project" for his faith, one which some have embarked upon.

Let's follow along behind him and see what we can learn.

Thoughts from Chapter one for your consideration.

Take time to work through your thoughts as you read these thoughts from our reading last week...

~ "...the water goes back out to the ocean. It is washing away the sand underneath of me, and my feet keep sinking lower and lower. If this keeps up, there won't be anything left to stand on." (pg 15)

~ "...listen to me when I say this. When the last grain of sand is finally gone, you're going to discover that you're standing on a rock" (Pg 15)

~ "Disappointment isn't rare...Christians believe God can change things. When it seems that he is content to stand by and let us live what we consider a mediocre life, we naturally doubt his presence, goodness, or both." (pg 17)

~ "...when people doubt the existence or goodness of God...one of three things has happened...Disappointment...Brokeness...Devastation." (pg 16-18)

~ "Why do we react so negatively to God's strategy of using trials to help "complete" us in our spiritual lives? Why is this idea so foreign to us?" (pg 23)

~ "Most of the time, it has to do with conflicting agendas... Our Agenda... God's Agenda..." (pg 23-25)

~ "I'm not an objective observer when it comes to being blindsided...I think that's important for you to know...those who have comforted me the least have always been those with all the right answers but had never been through.... "the dark night of the soul." "

When you read the account of Brian's hospital visit on page 21 and came across the imaginary conversation between Brian and the complaining alcoholic, did you identify with Brian?

If you identified with Brian's non-existent conversation, let me ask this question... What would you feel like if you were the alcoholic instead of the "preacher?"

Would it motivate you to change?

Become better?

There we have it...

Chapter 1 behind us and on to the deeper waters of Chapter 2...

Are you ready?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below... 1

Till next week...

Happy reading...