Prison Doubts

Many times in life, we are faced with circumstances that cause us to doubt. Doubting means that we are divided in our mind. We worry about our future, our jobs, trials, relationships, or what have you. Many of life's circumstances naturally make us skeptical about the future, and when we doubt, we are "like a wave or the sea driven and tossed by the wind." Telling somebody, "Do not worry or doubt" is easier said than done, but doubting can make us unstable in our ways.

Any decision-making, clouded by the disbelief in our mind, will cause conflict in every aspect of our lives. No one is immune to doubt, and its attempts to creep its way into our lives daily-- especially those in this beast called prison.

Without explaining the effect prison can have on somebody, I'd rather show you through scripture how much power doubt can have on the outlook of an individual who is imprisoned.

The scene is this (Matthew 3:13), Jesus asked John to baptize him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and the heavens opened up. Then, the Spirit of God descended like a dove upon Jesus. Suddenly, a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." John the Baptist witnessed this phenomenon and God's official recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. Seeing is believing, and in this case seeing should have been the ultimate confirmation. John bore witness to this event, but some time later, we see the seeds of doubt planted in John's mind while in prison.

"And when John had heard IN PRISON about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are you the Coming One, (Messiah), or do we look for another?'" (Matthew 11:2-3). Talk about doubt, "Do we look for another?" This asked after seeing the heavens open up. I would guess that John's imprisonment played tricks with his mind, causing uncertainty to counter a previously certain event (Jesus' Baptism).

I don't know exactly what John was thinking, but I know the magnitude of the effect an imprisonment can have on one's morale and mind. Isolation is the worst possible counselor. After reading about John and these two events, I realized that "doubt is blind" and will cause you to lose sight of what you've seen and know. Although in prison there are a lot of unknowns, it is exclusively our faith, prayers, and various encouragements that will sustain us.

This entry was meant to be a challenge to never lose hope when doubt is present because those who have come before us have also doubted. Make an effort to move past the doubt and that which brings our mind against itself. Never stop encouraging and always remember the effect a "prison mindset" can have on our beliefs.
If you know somebody in prison, take the time to drop them a line of encouragement, it may be the doubt eraser they need. Jesus said, "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." I'm in the belly of the beast and though doubt is common, it does not have to prevail. Like I said on 8-30-10, "I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going..." but by faith I see.