Doubt

[snowyangel]

...can it really be true?

Doubt is the nagging voice in the back of your mind, calling into question the very core of your beliefs. Can what the Bible says possibly be true today? How can I reconcile the promises of God with what I see around me in the world today? How can I believe in something I can't even see? What convincing reason is there to trust the words of the Bible, or to believe their claim to be the word of God?

It's the voice of doubt, and it's been whispering words of uncertainty in the ears of men and women since the days of Adam and Eve. If you find yourself questioning God and the promises He details in the Bible, you certainly aren't alone. Scripture is full of stories of godly people who at some point in their lives doubted that God would make good on his word: Abraham Genesis 12-13, Gideon Judges 6:33-7:11, Peter Matthew 14:30-31, and the disciple Thomas John 20:24-29 all experienced doubt - to name just a few.

What does this tell us about doubt? It assures us that doubt is not the same thing as unbelief - although doubt certainly may lead to unbelief. Strange as it may seem, honest doubt can be a powerful growing experience. The writer Frederick Buechner calls doubt the "ants in the pants of faith," stirring things up. When we observe contradictions between what we believe and what we see around us, it is healthy and natural that we have questions. God knows our need for reassurance and he can use that need to teach us more about Himself, about what we believe and why we believe it. When we come to him with genuine questions - "Who are you?" "Why should I believe you?" "How can I know that what you say is true?" - he does not turn us away or condemn us for our questions. When John the Baptist sent messengers to ask Jesus whether or not he was really the Christ, Jesus didn't criticize John for asking. In fact, he answered with an encouraging reminder of his own proven track record (Luke 7:20-23).

The famous poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote that "There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds." Don't use doubt as an excuse to turn away from God. Instead, commit to spending more time reading God's word. Read through Psalm 73, in which the disillusioned author brings his doubt and frustration to God. Approach God with your doubts and questions, and let him gently remind you of His changeless character and his absolute trustworthiness.