“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them – Mark 11:23

Communication is the oxygen of every good relationship. Limit its supply, and you’re courting trouble. Suspicions insidiously creep in to snuff out trust, the anchor of the relationship. Over time, doubt drips its poisonous sap into the mind of one partner, and the relationship begins to die a slow death.

Aku and Ben experienced this trend in their beautiful marriage when Ben began to withdraw and spoke less. The delightful calls from work and on business trips dwindled, and the collection of gifts from the countries Ben visited dried up with time. When they spoke, Ben seemed distracted and spacey. Aku’s best friend, Lala, suggested that Ben might be seeing another woman. Aku moved on that suggestion and started questioning everything Ben did. They quarrelled often and slept in separate rooms. Gradually, their romance died. Aku doubted if the man she fell in love with and married fifteen years ago was the same Ben she now lived with. She talked about divorce, but for the timely intervention of a counsellor. Ben had not been cheating on her. Rather, he had been going through some personal struggles on the job that drained him emotionally. Unfortunately, the male ego dealt him a bad hand he couldn’t handle well at home.

When doubt attacks our faith, it challenges everything godly and robs us of our blessings. When we allow its tentacles to coil around our minds, we can’t believe anymore. What was real yesterday, could easily become something we can’t perceive any longer. Remember John the Baptist’s question to Jesus from jail in Matthew 11:3? How could the man who identified Jesus to the world as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn.1:29), entertain any doubt about His identity? But that’s how our expectations can frustrate our faith and ignite doubt to drive us away from God’s appointment.

Maybe, you are in the same situation today. You met Jesus and fell in love with Him. Things were going well until hell broke loose around you. Your marriage is falling apart like that of Aku, or your children are straying from the Lord. It may be your finances, health, or job. The crux of the matter is that you’re being crushed under the weight of affliction, and you can’t trust anymore. This is the time you need Jesus the most, but your prayers don’t seem to go anywhere. You’re beginning to doubt if holiness and integrity are worth your dedication. What happened to the promises of God, and why isn’t He doing something about your situation?

The truth is, until we replace our personal expectations with the reality of Jesus’ being, we can’t have the right perspective and attitude in our trials to prevail.

So, don’t let doubt frustrate your faith in Jesus. He is the true Messiah, and He has all your issues under control. His ways may be different from yours, but that should not cause your faith to falter.  Persevere in your trials until maturity adorns you for eternity (James 1:2-4). The crown of life awaits you there (12).