HAVE YOU BEEN DOUBTING GOD?

By Samuel Matthews
“30 But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:30-31).
Loved ones, doubt is an experience common to all people. Even those with faith in God struggle with doubt on occasion. A working definition of doubt is “to waver in opinion, to lack confidence, to consider unlikely.” Doubt is an obstacle which needs to fly away for a Christian to be of real service to God.
The Bible has much to say about the cause of doubt and provides examples of people who struggled with it. God knew we would doubt and has built into His word truths to help combat the sin of unbelief, “which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1).
The very first expression of doubt in the Bible is in Genesis 3, when Satan tempted Eve. God had given a clear command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and had specified the consequence of disobedience: “16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).
Satan introduced doubt into Eve’s mind when he asked, “Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” He wanted her to lack confidence in God’s command. When she affirmed God’s command, including the consequences, Satan replied with a denial, which is a stronger statement of doubt: “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:1-5). Doubt is a device of Satan to make us lack confidence in God’s Word and consider His judgment unlikely (2 Corinthians 2:11).
However, we cannot lay all of the blame on Satan, for the Bible clearly holds us accountable for our own doubts. When the angel of the Lord told Zacharias his wife would have a son (John the baptizer), he doubted the word given to him. He logically assumed that he and Elisabeth were too old to have children. In response to his doubt, the angel said, “Behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season” (Luke 1:11-20).
Zacharias doubted God’s ability to overcome natural obstacles – many of God’s people today share the same doubt. Any time we allow human reason to overshadow faith in God, sinful doubt is the result. No matter how logical our reasons may seem, God has made foolish the wisdom of this world, and His (seemingly) foolish plans are far wiser than man’s (1 Corinthians 1:20, 25).
The remedy for doubt is faith. Faith is trusting God even when His plan goes against human reason or experience. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). God gave us the Bible as a testimony of His works in the past, so we will have a reason to trust Him in the present. “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old” (Psalm 77:11).
Contrary to the humanistic view that doubt is essential to life, the Bible says that doubt is a destroyer of life. James wrote: “5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (doubting). For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:5-7).
If we doubt God’s ability to respond to our request, what would be the point of asking in the first place? God says that if we doubt while we ask, we will not receive anything from Him, because we are unstable: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).
In order for us to have a faith that is pleasing and approved by God, we must diligently study His word to know what He has said (2 Timothy 2:15). Once we understand what God has done in the past, what He has promised us for the present, and what we can expect from Him in the future, we can come and bow before our Lord Jesus in faith instead of doubt (John 6:44-45).
The most famous doubter in the Bible was the Apostle Thomas. When the others told him they had seen the resurrected Lord, he declared he would not believe in His resurrection until he could see and touch Jesus himself. When he later saw Jesus and believed, he received the gentle rebuke, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:24-29).
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We can have confidence even in the things we cannot see, because God has proven Himself faithful, true, and able.
Dear friends, we will close this post with several divine truths to remember when you find yourself doubting God.
1st Truth: Christ died for you.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If God was willing to sacrifice His Son for you, there is nothing that He won't do for you!
2nd Truth: God loved you even when you were still dead in sin.
“4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God already knew your sins past, present, and future and loved you anyway. He still loves you now.
3rd Truth: God is your heavenly Father.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). Your Heavenly Father is in control of ALL circumstances; therefore, you can rest in His love and provision no matter the circumstance.
4th Truth: God has compassion on you.
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). Your bad days do not disqualify you from His love or His faithfulness. His compassion will woo you back to Him in confession and repentance.
5th Truth: God has good plans for you.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has an expected end for your faith, works, trials, and afflictions. You can trust with hope because your future is with Jesus.
6th Truth: You must pray.
“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). God wants your honesty. He already knows what you are thinking and feeling. Being honest with the Lord will increase your faith and grow your walk of obedience.
7th Truth: You must be still.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). When all else is in chaos and you find yourself doubting God and His plan, remember that God is the center of the story, NOT you. Trust His word, for It has power to still you before His holy presence.
May we all grow stronger in our faith and may our times of doubting God diminish as we apply all the powerful truths of the Holy Spirit’s word (Ephesians 6:17). To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel.