All around us people are beginning to lose their faith and doubting God. Are you one of them? Are you doubting God too? Well, doubt is an experience common to all people. Even those with strong faith in God struggle with doubt on occasion. But why are we so prone to doubt God? If we believe that God is who He says He is, and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our faith?
One reason we are so prone to doubt God is that we fail to see Him at work in the world and in our circumstances. At times it is because God does not proceed according to our expectations – or due to our ignorance as to how God works. You see, if we do not know God’s ways, and how God works, we will be always disappointed in His responses or lack thereof. God works in mysterious ways, my friends. He is very much at work behind the scenes of our lives, in spite of the fact that we might not see or know how. God does everything His way, and in His time, and usually it goes against human logic.
It is natural for us to question God when we are faced with overwhelming and distressing events. God understands our struggles and wants us to come to Him with our pain and confusion – instead of doubting Him. Doubts cannot thwart the sovereign plan of God. The solution to our doubts is to understand the source of our doubt and to replace it with trust in God, and allow His will to be done in all circumstances.
We should not deny or fear our doubt – we should express them. God understands. He already knows the contents of our hearts. His disciples doubted Him too. Thomas doubted His resurrection. He would not believe unless he saw the nail marks on Jesus’ hands and feet.
Barak doubted in God also. He refused to go into war without Deborah accompanying him. Gideon doubted in God’s ability to help him win the war against the Midianites as well. He prayed for God to give him proof not once but three times. Sarah and Abraham laughed at God’s Promise. Both followed God faithfully through a lifetime of challenges and trials, but they could not quite bring themselves to believe one promise God made to them: that they would give birth to a son in their old age.
In Luke 1:11-20, when Zechariah was visited by the angel of the Lord who told him that he would have a son he doubted the word given to him. The angel told him he would be mute until the day God’s promise was fulfilled and that exactly what happened.
Therefore, the biblical response to doubt is for us to ask God to help us overcome our lack of faith. God does not want His people to doubt Him. He wants them to be confident in whatever He does. So, moving forward, let us view doubts as opportunities for growth. Just as a plant grows stronger after being pruned, our spiritual lives often become stronger when we operate by faith. Many of our greatest victories and lessons in life result from overcoming struggles. We may not enjoy doubts or other problems, but we can grow through them.
Remember: Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. Doubting does not prove that a man has no faith, but only that his faith is small. And even when our faith is small, the Lord is always ready to help us.
