The blessings of doubt

I smiled when he asked if I ever felt uncertainties about the Lord and His ways. He wanted to know if I ever wondered: 

Does God care for us?

Is He active?

Does He answer prayer?

These questions are common! Hearing the pastor preach with conviction, we start to believe that if we were a ‘better Christian’ all our doubts would evaporate. Think again. The deeper a person delves into faith, the more he chooses (note that word) to walk in faith, the more he exposes himself to the possibility of doubt. The choice to live by faith leads us past 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.’

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 gradually replace our doubts. But, doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. It should lead us to an examined faith, one we own not just one we learned from others. Pastor 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 admit that there are many things we simply cannot reduce to the simplicity of our own understanding, then we can come to a place where we are prepared to discard doubt and choose to trust God.  It is painful a process that we would to force to end NOW, but if we stop wrestling with doubts prematurely, 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.

"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. …

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, The Message)

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Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters,

The great unknown, where feet may fail.

And there I find You in the mystery,

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name,

And keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

For I am Yours, and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters,

Your sov'reign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now.

Oh and You are mine oh

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders,

Let me walk upon the waters,

Wherever You would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,

And my faith will be made stronger,

In the presence of my Savior.

I will call upon Your name,

Keep my eyes above the waves.

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

I am Yours and You are mine.

Joel Houston | Matt Crocker | Salomon Ligthelm

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