We learn about and believe in the mountain moving faith, while also being filled with doubts and insecurity. God created everything ‘very good’ only, but we, in our sinful nature remain fearful of all that may happen in the future. But when we start living by and applying our faith in the power of God’s Word, the change starts happening.
How did doubt enter humanity? Every believer faces doubts about various aspects of life every day and some step back and put their plans on hold, while others move forward. When we start taking our doubts as failure of faith, we get stuck to that point and failure finally comes. However, when we use that as a tool to go deeper into the cause of that doubt, we can understand the reason and get rid of that. All the disciples had been a witness to the miraculous works of Lord Jesus and were taught by Him. Our perception of what we hear is filtered by our old thoughts and teachings. The disciples and all with them had not understood the teaching about Lord Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection on the third day.
Mary Magdalene had suffered affliction from seven evil spirits and her commitment and love for the Saviour was absolute. Early morning on Sunday, with the other women, she went to the tomb to anoint the body of Lord Jesus with the spices, for it could not be done on Friday, due to the beginning of Shabbat (Luke 24:1-11). However, these women, on being told about His resurrection by the two angels standing in the tomb, ‘remembered His words’. They returned to the disciples and told them about it, ‘and their words appeared to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them’. It was not about their faith but the age-old tradition of the Jewish people about discounting the testimony of women.
However, Apostle Peter and John ran to the tomb but out of the two only John ‘saw and believed’, and they went back (John 20:8-18). As per Jewish tradition, a dead body was wrapped in strips of cloth with the anointing spices in the folds, while the face was covered with a separate cloth. Since Lord Jesus rose with His body, the cloths were as before and the body had moved out without disturbing the folds of cloth. Mary Magdalene, probably filled with doubt because of the disciples’ rejection of their news, stayed there weeping. Lord Jesus held back His move to heaven to console her, however, she in her grief could not recognise Him but His voice did touch her. To break the age-old traditions of people, He made her the first Apostle, His messenger. She was sent to the disciples with the message ‘go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and their God’.
To remove any doubts, He came to them in the evening of the same day, the Sunday, when they were together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. All of the disciples wanted the news of the resurrection to be true, but their doubtful nature held them back. The linen cloths were lying in the tomb as seen by them while the body was not there. In His resurrected body, Lord Jesus was not bound by any natural barriers. Apostle Paul has revealed this for all believers that at the time of the rapture, first the dead and then, the living will also be taken up into the clouds to be with Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). But to be made suitable for life in heaven, ‘this corruptible (body) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality’.
We have this knowledge now from the Scripture, but there are many who will in their unbelief, start spreading stories about this being impossible. Doubt actually reveals those areas of our faith about which we care the most and carry the inherent fear of being disappointed. Apostle Thomas also wanted very much to believe the resurrection but still wanted to personally make sure (John 20:25-28). He could finally say to the Lord, ‘My Lord and my God’.
But do we treat faith as the absolute absence of all doubts or decide to trust God in spite of our doubts? This attitude raises faith above an emotional feeling of definite certainty to a functional decision of following His Words and Commands. Our God is a loving God who knows our hearts and minds and readily reaches out to rescue us from the storms by breaking the natural laws of walking on water, while also equipping us to do that. The father of the demon afflicted deaf and mute boy could cry out ‘Lord, I believe, help my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24). Lord Jesus did help him by freeing his son from the evil spirit, healing him and giving him a new life. He brought his son to the Lord even with his own doubts and so must we reach out in whatever spiritual state we are in.
Apostle Thomas was blessed by the Lord and believed and overcame all his doubts, reached India with the Word and was martyred in Chennai. We also must have such faith to move forward even when the fog and darkness of doubts still remain. We are sinners forgiven and sanctified by the Lord but our sinful nature is being changed day by day continually.
Overcoming thoughts that keep pushing us back – Apostle James has advised everyone to ask from the Lord for wisdom and not doubt and he will be given (James 1:5-6). Apostle Paul has also shown knowledge and wisdom to be the gifts of the Holy Spirit to a believer. For a specific role or even to grow in faith and understanding of the Word, we must ask and the Holy Spirit is a Teacher in us. After teaching some important things, Lord Jesus would invariably say, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Matthew 11:15). He was not referring to the physical aspects of hearing only, but about the spiritual. When we listen to the sermon, we are to receive it with understanding, absorb it as our inner part of the soul and live accordingly.
Invariably we hear and forget everything by the time we move out of the Church or definitely by evening. We need to follow the practice of reviewing our daily activities before going to sleep and in that try and remember the details of the Word that we heard or read. Eventually we will start getting affected by the Word.
Doubts come when our faith is based on facts and not fully on God. The promise of sonship to a believer is for those who ‘receive Him’ as the Saviour and ‘believe in His name’ (John 1:12). Most people receive Him but fall short of fully believing in His name and His character as the Son of God, who is the ‘truth and the way’. Identify the storm that you are facing today and in which Lord Jesus is calling you out from the security of your boat. The uncertainty that you are facing and the storm is of this world but Lord Jesus is seated on the throne in heaven. It is always the spiritual that affects the worldly and not the other way round.
The storm of your doubt may be there but the One who calls, is able to help us prevail over any situation. His help is always in stages, first, He equips and strengthens us to face the present state and stand firm. Then, He provides the shield to the soul, to not be unduly affected by the problem. It is then that He calms the storms. He lets the situation remain so that we could be moulded and shaped by it. We want His help in the reverse order, for the storms to first stop. God allows all these situations in our lives to train us for bigger roles that He has for us. We are called by the ‘God of all grace’ with the specific purpose of His ‘eternal glory by Christ Jesus’ (1 Peter 5:10). We are chosen and called by Him for His purpose and plan and to train us for that role, and for that He permits sufferings. But, ‘after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you’.
Lord Jesus was in prayer alone while the disciples were facing the storm in the sea (Mark 6:45-48). After they had struggled most of the night, He came to them in the ‘fourth watch’ or between three to six in the morning, just before day-break. While struggling in prayer and trying all sorts of efforts, we get filled with doubts and many even give up. Lord Jesus came to the disciples to help them but He ‘would have passed them by’. Why would He not help them, when He came for that very purpose? In our doubts and insecurities, we tend to try everything and God, but He and His help must be sought first. The fear of the disciples to think of Him as a ghost made them cry out to Him. He will pass us by, if we do not cry out to Him for help.
Apostle Peter went under water, not because of his doubts, but because he let the situation take over His focus on the Lord. Life’s goal cannot be to live without doubts and being totally free from them but to retain our focus on the Lord to step out of the boat to be with Him. Apostle Thomas did not leave the other disciples but continued and was rewarded by Lord Jesus’ presence. Doubts will try to restrict our move forward, but we are to move in faith. Abraham was tested by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah as a burnt offering, involving total burning. Moving forward, Isaac asked him, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Isaac was an adult and Abraham’s answer is of faith in God, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering’. God did and Isaac was saved but God provided for Himself His own Son as the offering for our sins. Abraham and Isaac must have had serious doubts but they moved forward and God intervened at the right time. We overcome our doubts by moving forward, for action helps us shift focus on the Lord and not on any worldly thing.
Moving mountains with mustard seed faith – After the disciples failed to free the deaf and mute boy of the demonic spirit, Lord Jesus told them the way (Matthew 17:20). He said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you’. It is not the size of our faith that removes the obstacles but the words spoken and the hand of God empowering that. The sequence in this is, first, to have faith that God and His Word is true. The second, speak to the mountain, like David spoke to the giant Goliath, ‘I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’ (1 Samuel 17-45-47). The third is to speak to God about the mountain in line with His Word. David believed in the Lord’s word of not leaving nor forsaking His people and in that spoke to Goliath but indirectly to God for action. He said, ‘This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you’. The fourth is thanksgiving to God and we start this even while the result of our prayers has not fully come. The fifth is forgiveness and this becomes difficult for most people.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Lord Jesus taught about the importance of forgiveness (Matthew 5:24). Before presenting your offering before The Lord, if you remember any grudge, you or your brother may have, ‘Leave your gift before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift’.
Lord Jesus’ identity was prophesied about more than 700 years before His coming. He is ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6). He came to teach, heal the broken hearted and give His Shalom to all who follow Him. At every step of our walk of faith, doubts will keep on coming into our minds but we turn to the Word to find an answer and counter doubts. John the Baptist declared about the coming Messiah, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ – He was filled with the Holy Spirit in His mother’s womb and had seen the ‘Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and remained upon Him’ (John 1:29-32). But when he was imprisoned by Herod, he was filled with doubt about the role of Lord Jesus to establish rule by defeating the Romans and not about spiritual freedom from sin and the devil. He sent his disciples to Lord Jesus with the question, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ (Matthew 11:3-5). The reply sent to Him by the Lord was about fulfilment of the prophecy of the first part of Isaiah 61:1-2a, while leaving out the part about the judgement which will be on His Second Coming.
Apostle Paul has taught every believer to ‘casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We use all our strength of both hands to push away every thought about doubts and unbelief, without getting into any argument with it. By thinking about and arguing with it we give it power and value. By pushing with one hand or half-hearted efforts, we are keeping the door open for it to come back. To get engaged with our doubts, we go into endless self-criticism, guilt, shame and anxiety. We need to quietly discard it from our minds and mot let it enter again. Using both hands, we push it away, for this is a final thought of not accepting it ever again. We move on to other thoughts and actions giving it no worth.
On the cross, Lord Jesus first finished the earthly business of forgiveness of Jewish leaders, the criminal on the cross and entrusting responsibility of His mother to Apostle John. Then He could focus on the real issues of salvation of mankind by bearing their sins on Himself. We also must retain our focus on the important matters without getting stuck in doubts and thoughts dragging us away from God and His Word.
Because of our sinful nature, it is natural for doubts about everything to come and thus try and mislead us. But we must use the power and authority of the Word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit to push these away and keep moving forward in faith. Once we start a dialogue with our doubts by unduly worrying, we give them power over us and submit to their lies. The Holy Spirit empowers and guides us to counter these by the Word of God and remain strong in faith!
