An old story tells about a man who walked a tightrope over Niagara Falls. The crowds who watched cheered him on. He pushed a wheelbarrow up to the rope and asked, “Who believes I can push this across the rope?” Of course the crowd shouted enthusiastically. Then he put their ‘faith’ to the test. “Who wants to get into the wheelbarrow?” I have no idea if that story is true, but it surely illustrates the nature of real faith.
Growing Christians who choose to live ‘in faith’ will actually be at greater risk of the possibility of doubt. “Faith” is easy when there is nothing at stake, when we remain in the place of the common, the safe, and the tested. Real faith goes to work when we are involved with the impossible, the impractical- ‘walking in the Spirit.’
Do you ever question your faith? Doubt is fairly common among thinking people, even devout Christians! Days come when God is eclipsed by the urgent, the disappointing, the exciting, even the ordinary routines of living. When we listen to a pastor preach with conviction, we might begin to think that if we were a ‘better Christian’ every question would be answered, all of our doubts gone. Nice idea, but it’s not true.
The very father of the faithful, Abraham, struggled with
doubt! God had promised to give him a legacy, to bless the whole world through
him. But, Sarah and he were growing old, past the time of child-bearing. He
wonders aloud - “O Sovereign
Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since I
don’t have a son, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit
all my wealth. 3 You have given me no children, so one of my
servants will have to be my heir.” Genesis 15:2-3 (NLT)
Paul wondered if God was going to bring him through a rough time. "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.” Doesn’t that sound like a moment of doubt? He continues “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT)
Faith needs to grow and overcome our doubts but doubt
is not necessarily a bad thing. Honest questions, asked in real humility,
will give us an examined faith, one rooted in conviction, not just we learned
from others. The late Tim Keller says that “a faith without some doubt is
like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go
through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they
believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the
experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.” (Reason
for God, Riverhead, 2008)
I love that analogy to antibodies. We can
live without them, but we are much more resistant to sickness because of
them. Each time our bodies fight off some virus, we gain strength for the
next assault.
Doubts are disturbing! But, they also can help us to
clarify our beliefs which, in turn, deepens our ability to trust God. Doubt and
faith need not be adversaries. When we grow troubled it is critically important
to respond by recognizing our limitations of knowledge, insight, and judgment.
If we demand iron-clad proofs, if we insist that we must see, touch, smell, or
hear; then doubt will become destructive.
If we will accept that many things
are beyond the limits of our own understanding, (the mystery of faith) then we can come to a place
where we are prepared to discard doubt and choose to trust God. Doubt can
be excruciating painful, so much so that we will struggle to make it stop
NOW. However, if we set aside the struggle, the inquiry, the pursuit of
God too soon we will not gain greater faith.
In my life, doubt is ultimately defeated by building from the broad issues of faith to the more defined ones. The existence of God is not a question for me. The balance of evidence pointed to a Supreme Being, a Creator. Examination of the evidence and Scripture brought me to the choice to trust that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to reveal His grace and Himself to us. That is why I am a Christian. Learning of the way of life He taught and seeing how genuine discipleship brought such benefit to this world, I chose to respond to His offer of grace and follow Him as a disciple. Do you see the pattern?
John closes his Gospel, which is a long argument for Christian faith, with a story of doubt overcome. As you read it, take note that Jesus did not condemn the doubter. Instead, he invited him to examine the evidence and make a choice!
"Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed.”
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of
his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name." (John 20:27-31, NIV)
Are you doubting? Keep it honest. Ask the questions, not as accusations but as real inquiries.
Allow for mystery as you ponder, wonder, and wait. Be a good student of the world, the Scripture, and yourself. And, listen for the Spirit’s invitation to faith.
Here is the word from the Word for today - "What is
faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.
It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see." (Hebrews 11:1, NLT)
"So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who
wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those
who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NLT)
(Video of this blog at this link)
____________________
Goodness
Of God
I love You Lord
Oh Your mercy never fails me
All my days
I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
I will sing of the goodness of God
All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In darkest night
You are close like no other
I've known You as a father
I've known You as a friend
I have lived in the goodness of God
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
With my life laid down
I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
Ben Fielding | Brian Johnson | Ed Cash | Jason Ingram | Jenn Johnson
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