A Shout of Doubt
11/18/08 Insights from Prayer How do you know if you’re doing the right thing? Not so much choosing good over bad – those things are written clearly on your conscience. But when you feel God dealing with you so subtly that you aren’t sure you’re hearing right, that’s when you have to place yourself so that He can reach you again. Often the problem is that the world is getting between you and God, and making such a racket that what you need to hear can’t come through. Often the problem is you’re so busy listening to your own input that God’s gets shoved onto the back burner. No matter what the cause, the cure is meditation or contemplation. If God is to be all-important to you, you have to shut out the rest of everything.
God seldom shouts, and often what He does communicate to you isn’t a case of black and white. You may feel God’s inspiration to do something, only to be headed off at every turn from succeeding. Is the devil trying to get in the way of a good thing, or is God telling you the good thing He gave you is being compromised by your own interjection? This is the kind of confusion for which the answer is not instinctive. In this way God forces you to take stock and return to a contemplation of His desires. It’s easy to wander off the path, especially when you confuse God’s counsel with your own or that of the material world.
It’s possible to have your heart in the right place and to be doing what God has designed for you to do, and still be tormented by doubt. That’s because introspection is another of God’s teaching tools. If you suffer from doubt and confusion even though your ministry is clearly inspired, it may be that your method or your focus has strayed and needs tweaking. Doubt indicates there is a gap between your will and God’s – not necessarily a chasm; maybe just a small rift. Your discomfort is a sign for you to step back and consult God. This method of discomfort-learning works for sinner and saints alike – something is wrong no matter what the degree. We must go to God to get back on track – this is purifying and a sign of God’s loving care.
So to offer an answer to the initial question: we know we’re doing the right thing if we have sincerely humbled ourselves to receive God’s will, and experienced peace in the using of His gifts. And if spiritual peace is still not perfect, it’s the sign that you need to return to humble prayer to receive God’s correction. This is the whole point of the trial of doubt – that the return to peace confirms your ongoing need for God’s guidance. The reward of peace keeps you on your path, all to the glory of God.
