SABBATH THOUGHT 2024-12-28—FAITH & DOUBT

May God bless you on His Sabbath day!

When it comes to healings, faith and doubt can have an affect. Perhaps the most troubling verse for many when someone asks to be anointed was when the blind men were healed:

MATTHEW 9:28-29 And when He [Jesus Christ] had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

Does doubt come into your mind when you ask to be anointed for healing? When someone is not healed, the weakness of the flesh can cause doubt that they will be healed or to question their faith. While there is no question that afflictions occur because all must suffer as Jesus Christ gave us the example[1], I have heard some express doubt immediately after praying with them. They are probably not aware they do it, but it happens frequently. Some have said it may not be God’s will or healing may only happen at the resurrection.

I want to make a very important point in this regard—those begotten by God HAVE faith. Faith was required for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sins. Faith was required for repentance. Faith was required for forgiveness by God. Finally, faith was required for the Holy Spirit. Therefore, all those begotten by God HAVE faith.

In the story of the blind men, they did not have the Holy Spirit. They likely did not even realize that Jesus Christ was the Son of God because they called Him the Son of David. When they told Jesus they believed He could heal them, it may have simply been because they heard about others being healed, not because they believed He was God.

In contrast, the children of God HAVE faith. For everyone, it began at their calling and was established through baptism, from which all are “raised with Jesus Christ THROUGH faith”:

COLOSSIANS 2:12 buried with Him [Jesus Christ] in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

It stands to reason, then, that all who are begotten by God HAVE faith! Some more, some less; but ALL have faith. Oftentimes when someone asks for an anointing for healing, doubt creeps into their thoughts usually about having enough faith or that God will heal within their lifetime. Those with the Holy Spirit certainly have faith but doubt can exist even though there IS faith. Notice Peter’s state of mind when he walked on water but started to sink:

MATTHEW 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him [Peter], and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Doubt, on top of faith, can be a reason for unanswered prayer. Doubt is to faith like water is to fire:

JAMES 1:6-7 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

LUKE 12:22, 29-31 Then He [Jesus Christ] said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life … 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious [doubtful] mind. 30 “For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

No one should expect to “receive anything from the Lord” when they have doubts. Though doubts can plague everyone at times, James emphasizes putting away all doubt and praying in the full confidence of faith. How many prayers have gone unanswered because of doubt? God KNOWS what you need but does not want you to doubt Him! And THAT is the crux of the matter—doubt is always directed toward GOD! The power to heal is not within ourselves; therefore, all doubt is about God—His will, His timing, having enough faith from God, etc.

One of the greatest deterrents to healing is doubting our faith, which contradicts Scripture. Remember, “Jesus [is] the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2) and we need to be “confident of this very thing, that He [God the Father] who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

Now, what about having too little faith? That is quite possible as was the case with Peter; however, the “faith OF Jesus Christ”[2] is a work that was begun by Him and will be perfected by both Him and God the Father. That means no one has the faith to move mountains in the beginning—faith, like agape love, must grow over time.

So, what can be done when there is too little faith? That is a really important question. The first thing is to ask God for more faith. The apostles did (Luke 17:5) as well as the father of a son with the mute demon (Mark 9:18). But there is more. The disciples obviously had some amount of faith even though the Holy Spirit was not yet in them. Notice the story of the demon in an epileptic:

MATTHEW 17:15-21 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief [little faith]; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

The disciples had, according to Jesus, “little faith” (not unbelief). Obviously, some amount of faith is required when asking God to heal. But the story itself is no indication that the disciples had any doubt beforehand. They had cast out demons before and would not have expected their efforts to be fruitless. They failed because their faith was insufficient even without doubt. When they asked Jesus why they could not cast out the demon, He did not say it was impossible or that more faith was required. Instead, Jesus Christ gave them the keys to receiving God’s intervention even though they had “little faith”—PRAYER AND FASTING!

Though all must suffer, doubt is an unnecessary impediment to healing. Likewise, too little faith does not necessarily mean God will not heal. Both can be compensated with prayer and fasting. But there is another aspect of faith that needs to be addressed:

JAMES 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

REVELATION 13:10 … Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

REVELATION 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Does God test our FAITH? Absolutely, according to James. How? Through patiently WAITING upon God. The idea of patiently waiting is a theme throughout the Bible[3], but here are two very uplifting scriptures:

PSALMS 33:18-20 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, 19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

PSALMS 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth– praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.

God tested Abraham who patiently waited 25 years for the birth of Isaac:

ROMANS 4:20-21 He [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

What is the purpose of patiently waiting upon God? A couple of things come to mind. One is it allows God and Christ to finish perfecting us in agape love, faith, and obedience. As mentioned previously, “Jesus [is] the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2) and we must be “confident of this very thing, that He [God the Father] who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Works take time.

Another reason to wait patiently on God is it is a time to focus on HIS faithfulness. What? Yes, waiting for God to fulfill His promise of something that does not immediately occur is time to reflect upon the FAITHFULNESS of God. It is hard to have doubts while pondering God’s faithfulness. Think of it this way. God’s children are waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. That requires patience, sometimes under terrible burdens. Still, no one questions that Jesus Christ will return because we believe GOD IS FAITHFUL to fulfill that promise. Why, then, do we not have the same patience when we ask for healing? Why is there not the same absolute assurance in the faithfulness of God for healing[4] when it does not happen quickly? There are MANY verses about the faithfulness of God and I would encourage you to look for more[5]:

1 PETER 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

DEUTERONOMY 7:9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

PSALMS 91:1-4 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Finally, yes, there are times when God does not heal as in the case of Paul:

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 And He [God] said to me [Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Do not stop petitioning God for healing. Engage others in prayer. Ask an elder for an anointing. Cast off doubt by knowing “all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). If you think you might lack faith, FAST and PRAY more. Finally, PATIENTLY WAIT upon the Lord your God. Always remember, “[you] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [you].” (Phil. 4:13). But if you are not healed—even after years—BOAST in your infirmities so that “the power of Christ may rest upon [you].” (2 Cor. 12:9).

May God’s grace and peace be upon you!

Steven Greene

https://sabbathreflections.org

sabbathreflections@gmail.com