Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, "I am your salvation." – Psalm 35:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 4, 2022): Psalm 35

He met me at the back of the church and asked, "Can we go somewhere and talk?" I ushered him into a room that happened to be empty off to one side of the church foyer and sat down at a table. My young friend pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked at me. I waited. I knew that he needed to be ready to say whatever it was that he needed to say, and I was content to wait for whatever the words were that he was trying to find. Finally, they came out. "Is it possible to be a Christian and still doubt?" I am pretty sure that he thought he was the first person in history to consider this question, but he was wrong. Whether we voice it or not, I think it has occurred to almost every Christian. We all have our moments of doubt.

Among the disciples, we remember Thomas as the doubter, although I believe that that dispersion is unfairly cast. Thomas may have doubted, but he wasn't the only one. Of the disciples, only John showed up for the crucifixion, and that was partially because they all had their doubts, especially during this moment of extreme uncertainty and despair. And it is often those moments of struggle that cause all of us to doubt.

In the popular Christian allegorical poem "Footprints," a man looks back at his life and notices that there are often two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonged to him and the other to his God. But then he sees that there was only one set of footprints in the most desperate moments of his life. And so, he asks God, why? When I needed you the most, why did you leave me and let me walk my path alone?

The Lord replied,
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would
never leave you. During your times of trial and
suffering, when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I Carried You." 

David is once again finding himself amidst the struggle. And he asks that his God would pick up the spear and javelin and fight for him. But even that wasn't exactly what David really needed. David needed God to continue to remind him that he (God) was his salvation. David needed to remember that he couldn't save himself but that that was precisely what God had promised to do. I love how the early 20^th-century theologian, G. Campbell Morgan, sums up this passage.

"So trying were the circumstances, so poignant the pain, that he was at least in danger of losing his assurance in God. Hence the plea that God would give him the inward sense of certainty: 'Say unto my soul – I am thy salvation.' It was a request for the renewing or strengthening of the inner communion with God, which is ever the secret of strength in days of turmoil and sorrow" (G. Campbell Morgan).

Doubt is part of life, which is why faith is so important. And, like David, it is because of our doubt that we need to keep asking God to remind us that he is our salvation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 36

Happy Independence Day!