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Doubting God by Martin Wiles

Wishing all our readers a Happy New Year!!!

I’m a logical kind of a fella who likes proof. If I can’t sniff it, grab it, glare at it, hear it or chew it, I have trouble believing it exists. A skeptical skeptic.

If someone proposes, “God created the earth out of nothing,” I’m tempted to ask for scientific proof. A repeat of the original act. If you’re healed of a terminal disease and claim God answered your prayer, I’m tempted to retort, “How do you know God did it? Doesn’t the body have power to heal itself?”

Before you label me heretical, let me clarify…I believe everything the Bible teaches, but there’s always the temptation to doubt Christianity’s claims-many of which can’t be proven scientifically or experienced with the senses. After all, have you seen God lately? 

Thomas-one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, struggled too. The resurrected Christ appeared to various people-including the disciples minus Thomas. When they told Thomas, he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20:25 NLT). Jesus later appeared with him present but cautioned; You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway (v. 29).

God requires living by faith not sight which involves believing without scientific proof or sense experience. God is patient with our doubts but expects us to move from skepticism to faith in the absence of proof. Doubt keeps us from trusting him completely and hinders enjoying his best. We’ll fear stepping into the unknown where all the i’s and t’s aren’t grammatically correct. Fear and faith can’t live together, but when we allow God to perfect our faith, fear will move out. God rewards faith that doesn’t require sense experiences to flourish.

Prayer: Almighty God, though we can’t experience You with our senses, we believe You are our Creator, Sustainer and Deliverer; the One who clutches our existence in Your hand, and the one who distributes every breath. Increase our faith so fear won’t prevent us from savoring Your future.
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