Week 2 Day 2

Where do you go when you have lost hope? Maybe not literally but in your heart, it is empty. Have you ever been there? Today I am left feeling low, at the end of my rope. My hope is lost and doubt has crept in.

I am two weeks into my first Beth Moore bible study. “Mercy Triumphs” I am stuck on Week two day two.

I have been challenged to the core of myself with James 1:5-8
“5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

Check out verse 7. Such a person SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM THE LORD. What type of person should expect that? They type that wavers in their faith, the type that asks God for something with doubt in her heart. Could this be it? The reason why so many prayers go unanswered? Because somewhere deep down inside of me, somewhere at the core of my prayers doubt has crept in.

I will admit there have been many times I have prayed prayers that are laced in doubt. I have asked with questions. I have prayed “faith filled” prayers but I know that deep in my heart I am wondering, “will God really do this?”

“Is God really capable of handling this situation? I usually know that God CAN do it, my doubt lies more in the question, will He do it? James has made we question myself, it this doubt the reason why at times I feel like I am not hearing from the Lord. Now obviously God has not left me, but when we are discouraged we lose sight of that and we see only that which we are lacking.

Where do I go from here? The best part about being low is this…you have nothing to lose. If I believe God fully what can I lose? If I put my hope wholly in God what will it cost me? It will cost me nothing of value; it will only cost my hope. If I choose to continue in doubt however it will cost me everything.

This leads me back to a place I have become very familiar with, examining my own heart. I am ever encouraged to search my own heart, to view it at its ugliest, at it’s most deceptive at its most doubting place and realize there is only hope. All that is left after you clear away the ugly is hope in Christ. I have nothing else but than to believe He is going to do what I am believe for Him to do. My only other option is to quit and I will not be a quitter.

The first part of James 1 encourages us to ask for wisdom, without doubting to ask God believing that He will hand out the wisdom whenever we need it, I need some wisdom right now. Instead of asking God for wisdom all the while wondering if He will give it to me I am going to ask God believing that He will give me what I am asking.

I have nothing to lose in believing God. I don’t want to live my life expecting nothing from God because I cannot get past doubt, the only thing that overcomes doubt is hope. Today I choose hope. Now for week two day three….