Prayer Keys - Not Doubting
“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:6-8
In 1981, Norman Shirk of Dallas, TX, wrote:
“Let me meet you on the mountain, Lord, just once. You wouldn’t have to burn a whole bush. Just a few smoking branches And I would surely be your Moses.
“Let me meet you on the water, Lord, just once. It wouldn’t have to be on White Rock Lake. Just on a puddle after the annual Dallas rain and I would surely be your Peter.
“Let me meet you on the road, Lord, just once. You wouldn’t have to blind me on North Central Expressway. Just a few bright lights on the way to chapel and I would surely be your Paul.
“Let me meet you, Lord, just once. Anywhere. Anytime. Just meeting you in the Word is so hard sometimes. Must I always be your Thomas?”
Time for a true confession. Mine is a confession that will not compete with celebrity scandals on TV. It is a confession you will not see on the papers at the checkout line at the grocery store. I must confess that not only do I struggle with doubt, but I struggle with the thought that it is possible to not doubt. Doubting seems so natural.
It seems natural all through the Bible. In the Old Testament. Job questioned God. Psalms include complaints to God when life doesn’t make sense. Abraham, Moses, and Jeremiah are a few of the Old Testament faithful who were confused by what God was doing. Elijah won a contest of faith against 850 false prophets, then ran away in fear.
In the New Testament, after the crucifixion, the disciples were in despair. The one who changed water into wine, the one who commanded the wind and the waves, the one who conquered demons, disease, and death in others, had himself died.
Then they saw the evidence of the resurrection. Then they saw Jesus himself. He appeared to them again and again over forty days. In Matthew 28:16-17, immediately before the Great Commission, we read, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
After all that, some still doubted. Even while worshiping, some doubted. Doubt may be more natural than we would like to think.
The most famous doubter of all time is Thomas. Through history Judas has been the only disciple criticized more than Thomas. Tradition has given him a new nickname, “Doubting Thomas.” He wanted proof that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
But can you blame him? When the resurrected Christ appeared to some of his disciples, Thomas was not there. Can you imagine seeing someone die, knowing he was buried, and then hearing from friends that they had seen him alive? You might feel sympathetic toward them, expecting them to get over it in time. If they keep telling you on and on and on, you might feel a need to confront them. That was the situation for Thomas.
In recent years, many Christians have been more sympathetic to Thomas. They have recognized that if they had been in the same position they may have had the same doubts. In his position, I have almost no doubt that I would have been a doubter. My nickname might have become, “Doubting Mark.”
James Eads built the first steel bridge in America. It spanned the Mississippi River. Many people thought it would collapse under its own weight. Few trusted it.
Eads ordered fourteen locomotives to stop on the bridge at the same time. The people gave up their doubts and trusted the integrity of the bridge. Its builder already had faith that it would stand, but to conquer doubts he proved it was stronger than it had to be.
James Eads knew how to help people overcome their doubts. Jesus knew how to help Thomas overcome his doubts. "Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27).
Devotional writer Selwyn Hughes wrote “Those who doubt most, and yet strive to overcome their doubts, turn out to be some of Christ’s strongest disciples.” Thomas was transformed, saying, “My lord and my God!” That does not hit us as powerfully as it would hit the original disciples. Before that day, they called Jesus rabbi, meaning teacher. They called him Christ, meaning the anointed one. The called him the son of the living God. No one, before Thomas, had called Jesus, “God.” Jewish leaders would not have hesitated to pass the death sentence on Thomas for blasphemy. It was an incredible and dangerous thing to say.
The Bible says that the one who had been most honest about his doubts was the first to call Jesus, “God.” There are traditions that say he was the disciple who traveled furthest to tell others about Christ. Tradition teaches that he proclaimed the gospel in Babylon, Persia, and all the way to India. There are Christian churches in southern India claiming to trace their heritage to Thomas.
Three weeks ago, a Christian from India shared a testimony with us. He was introduced as “Andrew,” then asked his last name. He answered, “Thomas.” People were not expecting that. His family name can probably be traced back to the British colonial period. But maybe, just maybe, his name predates the British presence by more than a dozen centuries. Maybe one of his ancestors, with a Hindu name, became a Christian under the ministry of Thomas and changed his Hindu name in honor of the first Christian he had ever met. Maybe.
The Bible says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.” Let’s read it in context, James 1:3-8:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does,”
In studying this, I understand the part about trials and testing better than I understand the part about not doubting.
For six days I substituted in an American history class. At the end of class I would go over their worksheets with them. We talked about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Viet Nam, and Watergate. Some students wanted to know, “Mr. Stepherson, were you a history major?”
“No. Your history, my current events.” My favorite part of the Viet Nam War was not covered, Nixon’s Five Point Plan. My favorite point was the immediate cessation of the active draft. By 1973 I had not been drafted. I did not want to be drafted. An all expenses paid tour of SE Asia did not appeal to me at all. I was thankful for the immediate cessation of the active draft.
But suppose for a moment that the draft did not end in 1973, and I was called to serve. I’m sure Mom would still have a picture of me in uniform, maybe with my helmet on, maybe holding a rifle. I would look like a young soldier to everyone but my mom. She would still see a young kid, not ready to go to war.
If the uniform, the helmet, and the rifle were all the army gave me, she would be right. The army does more than that to prepare soldiers, as anyone who has been through boot camp knows. Boot camp trains and tests recruits so they will be ready when the day of battle comes.
These verses tell us that God does not do less for us. “Onward, Christian Soldiers” is more than just a stirring hymn. It is a fact that we are engaged in spiritual war. God trains and tests us so we will be ready when the day of battle comes.
James says that faith that survives trials results in perseverance, maturity, and completeness. Trials challenge our faith, trials can make us doubt. Faith that ignores doubts does not grow. Faith that conquers doubts is mighty indeed. I have never met a former atheist who became a half-hearted Christian. In time, their faith may grow cold, but that initial commitment never appears to be half-hearted.
Doubt is what happens at the edges of our faith. It is what happens when we reach the limits of our faith. We cannot have limitless faith without pushing out against doubt. We cannot ignore doubt and grow in faith.
Charles Simpson said, “I met a young man not long ago who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. He said one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be 6 inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of 8 feet. That also happens to some Christians. I’ve seen some of the cutest little 6 inch Christians who swim around in a little puddle. But if you put them into a larger arena - into the whole creation - only then can they become great.”
Thomas faced his doubt. He pushed out against the limits of his faith and conquered his doubts. Tradition says he became the disciple to carry the gospel the furthest.
Our doubt may be a momentary uncertainty. “Should we pray for God to use us to reach Everman in an event of almost biblical proportions?” We tell ourselves, “Yes,” then wonder if that is a realistic prayer. Our doubt may be a persistent, decades long struggle. “Why did my parent or spouse or child have to suffer or die?” We tell ourselves, “God is in control. He knows what is best. We will understand it better by and by.” Then we wonder if all that is true.
Doubt may come when we don’t see an answer to our prayers. Possibly worse, doubt may come when we don’t understand the answer to our prayers and the pain goes on.
We all face doubts. We all have times when our faith is weak. But doubt can be a step to strengthen our faith. It can push us to search for answers, and when our faith is tested, the testing can make it stronger.
Jesus responded to Thomas’ spontaneous act of worship with a blessing, for him and for us:
“Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jn 20:29)
That’s us. Jesus is blessing the billions that would follow in Thomas’ footsteps, sincere seekers who choose belief in spite of doubt.
James says the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Then he says when we pray we should believe and not doubt. But if we never face doubts, is our faith really being tested?
I don’t know the answer. For now, I will tell you what I think.
I think doubt is natural when we reach the limits of our faith. If we do not face doubts, our faith is not really being tested. Pushing against doubts, fighting them, conquering them, requires us to exercise faith. Our faith becomes stronger with the exercise.
The easy thing to do is to not face our doubts, to not struggle with them, to simply say we believe when we really are not sure. We must not be satisfied with that. In war, land that is not defended is surrendered to the enemy. We should not surrender one speck of what the Lord has given us.
Our faith will either grow or shrink in response to doubt.
In Mark 9, a father brought his son to Jesus. We don’t know how old the son was, but since he was a child an evil spirit would throw the son to the ground, wallowing, foaming at the mouth, and gnashing his teeth. He had often fallen into fires or into the water. So far he had been rescued from certain death, but the problem continued. The father said to Jesus, “‘If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’
“‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’
“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” Mk 9:22-24
Jesus did cast out the evil spirit.
I do not understand how it is possible to always believe and never doubt. Until I do understand, I will stand by that father and say, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
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