We suffer from doubt. We all deal with doubt. We are on one side of eternity, and between us and the other side is a great thick fog. We do not see what lies at the other end clearly. Sometimes, we are given to see vaguely. Apostle Paul calls it seeing through a glass darkly.
But that does not mean the other side is not concrete. Some like to think it is not, or find it convenient to think of it that way. But that is where all humanity is headed inexorably. Right now, we see the other side concretely through the word of God.
Although our daily experiences are limited to our natural side, we will often need help, such that this side cannot provide. A medical condition pronounced incurable is one example. It may call for direct intervention from the other side.
Ahaziah the king of Israel found himself in the grip of doubt when he fell from a lattice in his house and doubt grew that he would recover. The doubt was probably passed to him from those closest to him. He possibly developed the doubt all by himself. Doubt is of course a close relative of fear. Sometimes they are a twin. Ahaziah felt that the only way to quench his doubt or allay his fear was to obtain reassurance from the other side. He despatched his men to Ekron the Philistine city to inquire from Baalzebulb the idol there whether he would pull through or not.
God who is the great King both sides heard what he asked his servants to do. He therefore sent his servant Prophet Elijah to waylay them on the road and let him know that he would not recover but die instead.
Was it really doubt that was Ahaziah’s problem or curiosity? It is noteworthy that he sent his servants seeking to know rather than turn to God who could save him even if his lot had been to die.
Today, many seek to know their future rather than turn to the only true God who holds the key to that future. Hezekiah the king of Judah received the sentence of death from Prophet Isaiah.. The difference was, he knew God could overturn things in his favour, and God did. Saul also sought to know his fate when he was overshadowed with terror on the eve of his last battle with the Philistines. He compounded his problem by going to see a witch. But getting to know changed nothing.
You would be surprised how big the industry of fortune telling is even in our day. Many false Christian ministries built their foundation on this. Christians who are not properly anchored in Christ have fallen prey, turning to mediumistic spirits. These are rogue spirits operating on the other side. Sometimes, they prove capable of peeping into what looms ahead but utterly useless when it comes to offering meaningful help.
We should express our doubts and fears to God. That is one privilege we have as Christians. God hears. God knows. We must ask in prayer even when sometimes it appears we are only speaking to ourselves. Many times, the difficulty we face is only a measure of the season of life we are in. Even so, you will receive comfort, and God will erase all your fears. The Psalmist wrote that he sought the Lord and He heard him, and delivered him from all his fears.
One lesson we must not miss here is that, Jehovah hears and knows. He heard the words of Ahaziah even though they were not addressed to Him. He is aware of you and yours also.
Years ago, an orphan who was an undergraduate was toiling through his years in the University. He had been through a lot since he lost both parents. He was a Christian and was barely surviving, scrounging from here and there, just to make ends meet. One day, exhausted and frustrated in his corner of the hostel room, he turned to God, not in prayer, but in bitter complaint. Plenty of them. In the evening, he stopped over in the fellowship meeting. It was a very large gathering,. There, a brother gave a word of knowledge. Someone was there who said these exact words to God that morning. The brother also said, the person concerned should see him at the end of the meeting. He had something for him.
When they met, that brother offered him some financial help. Shocked that the Lord had heard him, he was fully comforted. He was so delighted that he rejected the help. He could cope, he assured his fellow. He was merely troubled, thinking he had been forgotten.