Doubt is a deeply unsettling feeling that every one of us experiences at one time or another. No one likes to be in this fearful state, I call it fearful because its very essence induces fear and worry, thereby disrupting our harmony and peace. Its most deadly effect is the high stress it produces. That high stress incites us to act irrationally due to decisions made based on needless fears. No one likes to entertain fear, and thus by extension, doubt.

A preacher once said, “God views doubting as worse than sin.” That is quite a statement to make. On closer inspection, it is true. When we doubt God, after all the goodness He showers on us, giving us life daily as we wake to a new day, plus His manifold blessings which we take for granted, it is like the proverbial slap in the face.

Friends, people, and countrymen, this is not unique to us, as some might feel. Some of God’s most wonderful servants were also afflicted by it. Elijah, that Old Testament prophet of note, through doubt, ran away just a short while after seeing God answer his prayer by sending fire from heaven to consume the offering he had made. In the New Testament, we read about Doubting Thomas, the disciple Jesus had to convince through sight and touch that it was really Him, the Risen Saviour.

Well, how about we study the life of that Great New Testament Prophet, John the Baptist? Jesus said, “Man born of a woman, there is none greater than John.” Let me put it to you another way; all of mankind born with wonderful positions (kings and queens), top-class musicians, sportsmen, scientists, etc., cannot compare with John because Jesus (The Messiah) said so.

John was unwavering in the proclamation of the truth, was plotted against and landed up in prison where he was awaiting his execution. In a moment of despair and doubt, he sends some of his disciples to go to Jesus and to find out if He truly is the Messiah or if there’s another coming. After meeting with Jesus, his disciples were convinced that He was the true One, so they returned and relayed what they had heard and seen. John, now convinced, was boldly taken and beheaded. There was a moment of doubt.

Are we immune to doubt? Is there a remedy for doubt, besides trusting and obeying God? No, we will enter those seasons of doubt. What triggers them, again, I’m at a loss to say. Whatever, whenever, however, when it happens, know that it will pass by which has been my experience.

I’m no poet, and I’m not a writer of prose; in fact, my English teachers all said that my command of the language was well below par, but miraculously, I’m now writing blogs. Not too long ago, possibly a week after my third blog, doubt set in, and I was about to throw in the towel, call it quits, give up, and stop blogging, when this poem came to me. I believe it was God giving me assurance, and I named it Song of Samuel.

SONG OF SAMUEL
GOD SPEAKS AND I EVENTUALLY REPLY.

Samuel, my son, 
I AM here today,
I feel your pain and see your dismay.
You dwell too much on thinking,
Instead of drinking,
From MY well
It's life-giving waters.

I know you care a lot
About life and its plot.
To you it seems as if you are damned
It’s not so, for to ME you are not
You need to relax
And stop to tax,
Your mind, body and soul,
To ME you are whole.

Yes, you have made
Some wrong decisions
Which resulted in all
Your confusion and collisions.
But please keep in mind
That you will surely find
Restoration and deliverance,
In ME your existence.

Suffice to say,
Relax today,
By ME you will never be forgotten.
I pull the strings
Remove the stings
And bring again the joy you crave
In so doing to fulfil and save
You from the path of destruction.
Remember I'M not finish building you
You are still under construction.

The POTTER has spoken
HIS Promises a token
Of HIS great love and care.
HE IS busy in me to prepare
A vessel of HIS fair making
I now relax as to me
This is a wondrous undertaking.
The doubt dissipated
I feel at peace and recreated

My reply:
Thank You LORD,
A life without YOU,
I cannot afford.
If I should step away from you
Pull me back and keep me true
For in YOU, MY GOD and KING
I find my song I sing
A song of love and peace
A melody of soul release
To unlock,
These are the keys
To finally bring me to my knees.

This is The Song of Samuel

A final note: when in doubt, don’t pass out. Stay strong and be connected. Claim His promise, “I will never leave nor forsake you.“ He is true to His word.