Confronting Our Doubts with Divine Evidence

3 Minutes of Courage Devotional Series

On a sermon entitled, "The Dangers of Doubting," Charles Spurgeon masterfully unfolded 1 Samuel 27:1, which reads: "Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul." There's no question David's heart was revealed through this statement.

As I wrote about in last week's featured article, David was making a prediction about the future of his well-being without any actual evidence. The basis of his conclusion was his present experience–not the promises of God. Read what Charles observed about David's doubting:

"David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, 'Here is evidence that God will forsake me.' In looking back through his whole life, from the time when he kept his father’s sheep, and slew the lion and the bear, onward to the day when he challenged the Philistine, and upward to this moment, when he had just escaped from his bloodthirsty pursuer, he could not find a solitary fact which should be proof that God had changed his mind, and would leave his anointed to fall into the hand of his cruel enemy...what David said in his heart was not only without evidence, but it was contrary to evidence."

I wonder how many times we make predictions that are contrary to evidence? Such observations ought to make us wonder about the doubts within our hearts and all the ways we've drawn conclusions about our present circumstances based on fallible, limited knowledge. I lovingly call these eye-opening statements "holy smackdowns" because they snap us out of our spiritual amnesia and remind us of God's consolations.

Friend, we may not share the same challenges, but in Christ we share the same eternal promises. Even our on-going struggles boast the redemptive benefits of spiritual fruit (Romans 5:3-4). New buds are blossoming. The Spirit is working and teaching and praying and comforting. New life is coming and old life is shedding (2 Corinthians 5:17). The outer man wastes away while the inner man is renewed and prepared for a future glory our wildest imaginations could never conceive (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

What evidence do you have that your future will contain anything other than what God has promised to you in Christ?

Look across the landscape of your life and walk God's faithfulness back to your doubts. What evidence do you have that your future will contain anything other than what God has promised to you in Christ? And for all that will not be resolved in this life, the promise of ultimate resolution remains as sure as the holes in the hands of your Savior.

Your evidence, friend. Remember your evidence.

I leave you with the wise words of the Sage, Charles Spurgeon, a man who well-knew the burdens of mental sorrows and the thorns of chronic physical pain:

O Lord God! thou hast not left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness; we have had our cloudy days, but our sun has never set until we have had glimpses of sunlight from heaven; we have gone through many trials, but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience— at least, I can speak of my own positively— is, that he who hath been with us in six troubles, will not forsake us in the seventh.

Pray for the courage to lean into divine evidence when encountering doubts today:

Christine M. Chappell

Author/Writer/Speaker

Christine Chappell is the author of Clean Home, Messy Heart, and is a guest contributor at Desiring God. She writes frequently about mental health topics at her blog, has completed biblical counseling certificates with the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship, and is currently pursuing certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.

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