City Life Starter

I. The Word

Psalm 73:1-5, 23-24

“Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.”

Matt 14:29-31

“29 So [Jesus] said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”

Reflection Questions

1. Are you currently doubting any of God’s Promises for your life? If so, which ones?
2. Can you name your what and why behind your doubt?
3. Do you remember Pastor Chris’ “DIG” acronym from Sunday? If yes, how are you applying it in your daily life?

By Heather Mattingly

Doubts are normal. When a child first learns to walk, the child doubts he can walk simply because he has never done it before. But this doubt doesn’t keep him from trying, especially when he has support around him – his parents’ encouragement and a scaffolding hand.

Spiritually, we are no different than a physical child learning to walk.  Just because you’re doubting doesn’t mean that Jesus is going to walk away from you. We serve a gentle and patient Lord who unfailingly meets us where we are at with encouragement and a scaffolding hand.

In Psalm 73:3 the author, Asaph, identifies the why behind his doubt: he was envious of the boastful. But where did his envy come from? He saw the success of the wicked and he coveted it, and this is what caused his “steps to nearly slip” (v.2). In Matt 14:30, one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, got out of the boat at Jesus’ word to walk on the water towards Jesus, but when Peter saw “that the wind was boisterous,” he began to sink.

Once Asaph took his eyes off of the Lord and looked around him at his circumstances, he started believing what he saw with his eyes (the materialistic success of the wicked) and “almost slipped.” Once Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and looked around him at his circumstances, he started believing what he saw with his eyes (the wind and waves) and almost slipped. Yet both men were saved by the hand of the Lord.

Another aspect of being a human being living in this world is our susceptibility to believe what we see with our physical eyes, rather than what we know is the Truth. Our Lord knows this about us, which is another reason why Jesus, the Word of God, came – not only to deliver us from sin and death, but also so we could see and behold Him. And believe Him. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, a glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).

Where your eyes go, your mind follows. What will you behold today?

This sounds all great and wonderful, but how do we apply this to our daily lives tomorrow? What about kids to feed? Bills to pay? That relative you’re believing to meet Jesus? What about ___________? How is God going to come through in your specific situation when the circumstances are overwhelmingly antagonistic? Well, let’s “DIG” through this:

“D” – Deconstructing your doubt: What are your doubts, and what is the why behind your doubts? (For example, if you’re believing God for money, did you run out of money before? Or, has he met your needs thus far? Do you know the experience you had that is causing you to doubt?)

“I” – Immersing yourself in God’s community: What are you keeping your eyes (and ears) on? Are you beholding Jesus or beholding the TV screen, when you have a moment? Are you listening to others seeking God and speaking the Truth or listening to others who sound good to your ears and speaking what you want to hear?

“G” – Grow in your faith: are you “giving away what you don’t have?” Are you speaking to others about Jesus? Are you serving someone despite the fact they’ve done nothing for you and/or they should actually be serving you? Are you doing what’s right and “keeping score,” or are you doing what’s right and trusting God for results, even if there are none?

Prayer:

“Father, I’m doubting You about ___________ because of ___________ circumstances, and I’m feeling _________ about this situation(s). And I don’t know what to do, but I want to stand on Your Word and act on what You say, not on what my eyes see, nor on what my feelings are telling me I should do. I lay down my circumstances and my feelings at Your feet. Will You show me the next thing to do? For Your word says that “You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me in Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps 73:23-24). And I believe You.”