Wednesday 24 August 2011

Doubt

Have you ever scolded yourself for having any doubt? I know I have. I wonder at it though. Doubt is definitely set in contrast to faith. But how bad is it really? I'm starting to think God takes a little pleasure in overcoming our doubts and fears. In the Gospels Jesus says things like, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." John 20:27 He doesn't just simply tell us to stop doubting, but gives us a good reason to stop doubting. I don't think God is standing in front of a giant score-board keeping track of our faith and knocking us down a peg or two whenever we have some doubts. Remember, Satan likes to put such thoughts in our heads. What matters is what we do with the doubts we have. We can go one of two ways. We can have faith and in spite of our doubts trust in God's unfailing love and mercy. Or we can affirm our doubts and believe them to be true and important. I think Thomas gets a bad rap for that little incident and we all know him as doubting Thomas. I'm sure Peter and John ran to the tomb that morning because they doubted and had to verify it for themselves. I think it is perfectly okay for us to come before our Lord and ask him to show us himself to alleviate our doubts. Sometimes he leaves us to our doubts for a time, but inevitably He will reveal himself. All doubts will be wiped away and in the end only three things will remain, Faith, Hope, and Love. All of them are gifts, and I thank God He has given them all to me.

1 comment:

  1. What I find most exhilirating about the account of Thomas the "doubter" is Thomas' recorded response to the Lord. Jesus had many disciples, yet only a few of them have clear declarations of a personal faith recorded in the scriptures. I keep pondering too how God told Gideon to go down to the enemy camp "if he was afraid" and hear what what God had there to encourage him. And Gideon went. He was afraid. But God already knew that AND already prepared an encouragement. Gideon in this instance didn't even have to ask God about the matter. It was God that brought it up first.

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