Lent 2010 #9 - Faith and Doubt

Psalm 27 (NRSV)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

THOUGHTS:

The psalmist begins with such confidence:  I won't fear when my enemies come to eat my flesh! (verses 1-3)

Yet, it is the pleading that catches my attention today: the cry for graciousness and for an answer (verse 7) and the request to not be forsaken (verse 9).

One of the things I value about the Bible is that it affirms us even in our questions.  We see that even great people of faith like King David, to whom this psalm is attributed, can bounce between assuredness and doubt in the flicker of an instant. People sometimes call this type of moment a crisis-of-faith, but I think these times help to form our faith.  

This summer, it was pointed out to me that we can only have faith when we doubt.  Certainty doesn't require faith.  Doubt does.  In the words of my friend, Pastor Jay Gamelin: 

"Faith is the ants in the pants of your doubt."

So the next time you find yourself wrestling with faith and doubt, remember that they work together, and remember the goodness of God.  As you journey though life, "be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (verse 14)

PRAYER:

Almighty God, our light and salvation, dispel our fears and comfort us when the world seems to be consuming us.  Allow us to sit at your feet, and to learn your ways.  In the name of Jesus the Christ we pray. AMEN.

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Thoughts by Ben Buss, Lutheran Campus Minister at George Mason University

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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Lent 2009 #7

Psalm 77 

1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah

4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:
7 "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Selah

10 And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed."
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.

15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

THOUGHTS:

What is the place of doubt in our faith?  Some see doubt as a lack of faith, but I think God sometimes meets us in our doubts.  Sometimes, times of skepticism are when we are most open to sensing God's presence.

Here, the psalmist laments how far away God seems.  The questions in verses 7-9 are heartbreaking as they mourns how a feeling of being abandoned by God.  Yet the psalm continues by remembering the wonders God did years before, how God redeemed his ancestors from slavery.  The psalmist proceeds here from doubt to faith, remembering that God uses human hands to lead and care for God's people.

Together, we share our doubts and faith with each other, and sometimes our questions are more helpful than the answers.  

What makes God seem far away from you?

What makes you feel like God is close?

What are your questions?    

PRAYER:

O Lord, thank you for our existence and for all the blessings in our lives.  Help us to draw close to you, and to find a way to live in the tension of our questions.  We seek to follow Jesus together.  Help us. AMEN.

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TODAY: faith discussion group meets at 4:30pm in SUB 1 Patriot's Lounge.  Join us for worship at 7:47pm in the JC Bistro.

Last call: There are still TWO open spaces for our spring break mission trip to Jacksonville, Florida.  For info/application: http://gmu747.org/spbr09.php

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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University.  Feel free to share them with your friends!  For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran  

You can subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com