I have a confession. Despite over 35 years in the ministry and a lifetime of going to church, I have questions and doubts about God. I’ve seen God do amazing things and transform many lives and yet I still have nagging uncertainties. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it to you, my fellow faithful followers. And yet I’m strangely encouraged by the fact that the Bible is full of stories about other believers who also experienced questions and doubts. What interests me about this week’s texts (and many biblical texts for that matter) is that they tell the story of the people of God and their struggles with the same things I (and perhaps you) struggle with. The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat the stories of our ancestors of the faith. It doesn’t only tell us of their successes, it tells us the story of their hypocrisies and failures; their questions and doubts.
Take today’s text from Exodus 17:1-7, it tells us that even after God had led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, they still asked this stunning question “Is the Lord among us or not?” How is it possible that these people of faith, fortunate enough to have had a front row seat to one of God’s greatest miracles, (the parting of the Red Sea) still wondered if God was with them or not? How is it possible, after all they had witnessed, that they had any doubts at all? And yet the Bible tells us that they did. And I’m thankful that it does. It’s nice to know that the faithful have been struggling with the same questions and doubts that I have, for thousands of years.
And yet what I love about today’s collection of texts is that despite the doubts, these faithful strugglers hung tough. They seemed to understand that a life of faith isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a grind. It’s not one long story of miracles and answered prayers. What’s impressive about the Bible is that our ancestors, these grinders from the past, continued to return to God again and again. And so, coupled with the story of the doubting Israelites, are statements like these from Psalm 15:4 Make me to know your ways- teach me your paths; and 15:5 “Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” Verses like these call for us to hang in there; to wait, to be patient, to keep seeking after God’s way for our lives, trusting that every now and then something truly beautiful will happen. God will reveal his way for us. We will witness something amazing or have a sacred conversation with someone or hear the voice of God in an unmistakable way. I think that perhaps the beauty of a life of faith is not in its certainty, but it’s in the seeking. If you are a fellow seeker and a fellow struggler like me, I invite you to join me as together we embrace the grind and hang tough on our journey of faith.
