Pastor's Post

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
- Hebrews 11:1 

Doubt is the uncertainty about the truth and reality of spiritual things, as seen especially in a lack of faith in and commitment to God.  Doubt leads to insecurity and lack of trust concerning God’s willingness and ability to deliver His people.  It also leads to a fear of people and situations.  In other words when we doubt, we are not believing that God will do what He says.  Doubt robs us of faith, and we all know that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Faith believes the impossible, doubt always questions what God says. 

We have all faced trials and temptations that have prompted us to ask the why question.  An example of this is found in Job where we are told that God had put a hedge of protection around him and had blessed him so that he was probably the richest man in the land.  Satan checked Job out to find a way that he could attack him and when he could find no way he went to God and incited God to allow him to take away Job’s possessions. The Lord allowed Satan to take Job’s possessions to prove to satan that Job was upright and blameless, a man who fears God and shuns evil. When Job still held on to integrity Satan incited God to allow him to attack Job physically which God allowed but Satan could not take his life.  Satan even used Job’s wife to try to get Job to curse God. So here we see Job covered in painful boils from the soul of his feet to the top of his head being shunned by his wife and society so that he has become an outcast even in his own home. 

When none of Satan's efforts worked, Satan used three of Job's friends to counsel Job, which resulted in God being angry with them.  Job never turned away from God through all of this, but he did begin to have some doubts. 

Job didn’t know that it was Satan who was bringing all of this trouble upon him – he thought it was God and yet through it all he kept his integrity and trusted God for deliverance. 

In Ezekiel 14:13-16  13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel[a] and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.

5 Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate."

God puts Job in the same box as two great men of faith.  Noah and Daniel.  These three could not save their sons or daughters if they strayed from God but Job, Noah and Daniel would be saved because of their righteousness.  Remember that no one can make themselves righteous before God – we need to ask God to make us righteous. 

So, Job is being attacked by Satan and God seems to be a thousand miles away.  In his darkest hour Job says: 30:14 "Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud. 1And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest." We know that through all of this Job prayed to God seeking deliverance from all that he was going through. Job was depressed, felt rejected and believed that God had turned away from him. 

When we are suffering from anxiety over the things that are happening in our lives where do we focus our thoughts?  Are we like Job who turned to God? I can hear you telling me that you always take your troubles to God, but I ask you, when you are faced with a health crisis, what is your first thought?  I have to make a doctor’s appointment or do you go into your prayer room and have some serious discussion with God? 

Do you take a promise that God has given you for healing and claim it as your own or do you say to God “make me better and heal me from this ailment”.  You might even tell God why you deserve Him to heal you, but I tell you that there is nothing that you can do that can cause God to be indebted to you. Everything that we receive from God is by grace through faith.  We can never be good enough to prompt God to do something for us.   

I am sure that Job spent hours on his knees seeking God and asking why but God never answered and yet even though he thought that God had abandoned him He clung to his faith and trusted God would deliver him. We can learn a lot from Job so let’s follow his example and earnestly seek God.

As opposed to Psalm Sunday and the triumphant entry to Jerusalem only a few days ago, Good Friday does not appear to be a day of triumph. There is no applause here, no victory parade, no easy resolution. The cheers of Psalm Sunday have faded into the distance, swallowed by silence and fear.

The crowds that once cried, "Hosanna," now shout, "Crucify Him."
Jesus stands condemned—abandoned by His friends, mocked by Roman soldiers, and rejected by His own people—the Jews. And yet, nothing here is accidental—this moment, this scene has always been His destination.

Crucifixion was Rome's ultimate tool of terror—reserved for slaves, rebels, and criminals. It was designed not only to kill the body, but to strip dignity from the soul. Victims were displayed, shamed, erased. Yet this is where the King chooses to reign.

The King on the Cross

Jesus knew this had to be done. He had asked for it to be taken away in the garden of Gethsemane only hours before ... and still He does not resist.

He does not call down angels. He does not defend Himself. Instead, Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:43).

Even in agony, mercy flows. Even in humiliation, love speaks.

The one through whom all things were made now hangs in vulnerability, choosing forgiveness over vengeance, surrender over self-preservation.

Above His head hangs a sign meant to mock: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."  The soldiers laugh. The leaders sneer. The crowd watches. Yet John's Gospel tells us something astonishing—this is enthronement. The cross is not an accident; it is the mission.

Jesus does not lose control. He gives Himself willingly, reigning not through force, but through faithfulness.

The apostle Paul later reflects on this mystery, writing that Christ, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing .. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8). Hear those words, "He made Himself nothing!"

When obedience is painful and outcomes uncertain, the cross invites us to trust. When forgiveness feels impossible, the cross reminds us of grace freely given. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).

Call to Action

Today is as good a day as any for you to come to the cross honestly. Lay down your guilt, your shame, your bitterness, and your self-reliance. Jesus doesn't mind if you die on the same day as He did. He knows that resurrection is coming. Look to the Crucified King and hear His words of mercy. Receive His forgiveness—and extend it to others. 

Choose the way of sacrificial love.

Ah, that beautiful analogy in John 15 where Jesus compares our relationship with Himself and the Father and we, His disciples. I love the very first line where Jesus calls Himself “the true vine”, the connotation being that the grape vine was created to be a physical representation of Jesus’ spiritual relationship with his people.

I want to hone in on one of Jesus’ remarks in this chapter,  “Abide in Me”. Now if we consider a grape vine, we have a large old trunk (the Vine), which produces long leafy branches usually held off the ground by a trellis. The branches are where the fruit is produced, not the trunk. The trunk produces life in the branches through the flow of sap from the roots. So the trunk supports the branches as they produce fruit.

Jesus says, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”. The very next verse ends in the declaration, “without me you can do nothing”. So, essentially, if we don’t abide in Christ, we can do nothing of any significance unless we are so connected to Him that He becomes our abode or home. I can almost hear the cogs turning as we all remember the Psalmist’s first thought in chapter 91, “. . .whoever dwells (lives) in the secret place of the Most High (God), will ABIDE under the shadow of the Almighty”. Paraphrased: Whoever abides in God will live in His very shadow.

Jesus gives us the antidote for striving and self-effort to bring change in our lives. We can’t do it unless we abide in him. To eat of His flesh and drink of His blood. To take Him in as your daily bread. To drink of Him as your living water. To learn of Him. To obey Him. To remain as close to Him in your daily walk as your very own life, for His Holy Spirit lives in you and without Him, we can do nothing.

Scripture reminds us that waiting is not wasted time. Throughout the Bible, we see God working deeply in seasons of waiting — shaping character, strengthening trust, and drawing hearts closer to Him. Waiting does not mean God is absent; often, it is where His quiet work takes place.

For many people walking through recovery, grief, or personal struggle, the waiting can feel especially heavy. Yet God meets us there — not always with quick answers, but with steady presence. He is faithful even when progress feels slow and hope feels fragile.

If you find yourself in a season of waiting, be encouraged. God’s goodness is not measured by speed but by faithfulness. Continue to seek Him, even with small, honest prayers. Trust that He is at work in ways you may not yet see.

May you find peace in knowing that God is near, attentive, and faithful — even in the waiting.