Faith Online Bible Study

Faith – Lesson 3

Tempted to Doubt

I confess I was tempted. Tempted to doubt the love of my Father. Shaken by circumstances, I lost my focus. Because of what happened to my son, I let circumstances get bigger than my God. Scripture commands us to magnify the Lord, but I magnified the problem. It consumed me with fear.

There were many questions in my mind. Why didn’t God prevent his seizure? Why did his children have to be there when it happened? Was God among us or not?

While I was reeling from the shock of it, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. Others confirmed this truth: God’s hand of protection had been on him all along.

It began to sink in. While I was tempted to doubt, there were many reasons to be thankful.

Because our son was in his own home when it happened. What if he had been driving? What if the whole family had been in the car?

Because only weeks before he had been in the remotest parts of Africa, hours from civilization. What if it had happened there?

Because his wife didn’t fall apart in the face of crisis. She took control of the situation telling the kids to pray while she administered CPR. What if she didn’t have the strength and fortitude to make wise decisions in the middle of their chaos?

Because our grandchildren obeyed Mom’s instructions to pray, crying out to Jesus for help. What if they hadn’t been taught to pray?

Because a lady “happened” by the house while the kids waited outside for the ambulance. She soothed our grandson’s tears assuring him Daddy was going to be just fine. Who was she anyway?

As I began to intentionally thank the Lord for these blessings, I felt the peace of God consume me. The kind that passes understanding. It was if Jesus was assuring me everything would be okay, just like the lady outside had said. While the weeks ahead would be filled with more reasons to doubt, I was determined to keep thanking God and stand on what I knew to be a fact: The Lord truly was among us.

Read Exodus 17:1-7

1. In what way were the people of Israel putting the Lord to the test? How did they react when their need was so great?

2. What does the Lord tell Moses to do when he cried out to Him for help?

3. How did God provide for their needs? What stands out to you about the Lord’s character here?

4. What was the place called and what was the significance of those names? (check your Bible notes for help with meanings)

Read I Corinthians 10:3-4

5. How do Paul’s words to the Corinthians relate to the story above? Who is our Rock? What spiritual truth can you apply to your present circumstances?

God was looking for faith. So He allowed His people to be stretched beyond their human abilities. How wonderful it would have been if Israel had proclaimed, “Because God opened the Red Sea, we know He will provide water for us to drink!” Yet we read that the people tested the Lord by crying out, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Have you ever wondered if God was there in your crisis?

Moses tried to get the people to believe their God would never forsake them. That they should keep holding on. God knew how to meet their need for water, but He longed for their trust. He had the water supply on hold hoping they would recognize His love for them. But they failed to cast their cares on the Lord and did what they knew best. They grumbled and complained. But what I love about this story is the display of God’s character in the face of their doubts. Compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, their God provided water out of a rock. This represented the spiritual sustenance that the Lord continually provides for his people. Even today God is our Rock! He proved that He was with Israel despite their unbelief. He was looking for their faith and was disappointed. Yet the love of God provided for them even when they gave into the temptation to doubt. They didn’t realize the Lord truly was among them. Do you?

 

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