Fear not – Fighting Doubts (Part 11/30)
“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ … But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Mt 14:27,30,31)
Faith and fear are closely linked. Faith drives out fear, but if faith is lacking, fear takes hold. The same applies to doubt: if we trust God more, doubt will disappear; if we do not trust Him, we make room for more doubt.
Peter's faith and his trust in the Lord when he leaves the boat is 100%. At first, there is no doubt in his mind: "If the Lord calls me out of the boat, I will be able to walk on the water”.
But then he sees the strong wind. And then it happens: his trust gives way, and doubt enters his heart. Peter may have asked himself: "If this gust of wind throws a wave at me, will I sink? Will the Lord hold me then? Will He give me strength to go on?" And as soon as these thoughts get going in Peter's mind, they can no longer be stopped. His gaze is directed more towards the wind and less towards the Lord, which is why Peter's confidence in his faith sinks – and with it, he himself.
We learn here how doubt arises: First, we direct our gaze away from the Lord to the problems. Then we think more about what the wind can do – and no longer about what the Lord can do. Peter's fear of the storm is completely irrational: is it easier to walk on a calm sea or a stormy one? The answer is clear: it is impossible in both cases – unless the Lord helps. Peter's journey on the water so far was proof enough that he could lean on the Lord.
Now, we certainly don't want to condemn Peter because, once again, we realize how much we are like him. We may also be familiar with such questions: "Will things turn out well? Will the Lord really always be with me? Does the Lord really have a good plan? If the Lord loved me, would he have allowed this or that to happen? Does the Lord really hear my prayers? Is the Lord really interested in me?"
We can learn again from Abraham, who trusted the Lord without doubt in a completely unthinkable situation – offspring at the age of 100 or 90: “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Rom 4:20,21). Because he relied on the fact that God CAN, there was no other option for him than to trust without doubt.
"Doubt is the opposite of faith." (unknown)
Oswald Chambers aptly says: "God expects one thing from us that glorifies Him: that we hold on to absolute trust in Him by claiming His promises and tolerating no doubt that His plan will be fulfilled."
The Lord wants to fill our hearts with such courage and confidence that there is no room for doubt. As another man of faith once said: "The man who is full of God is empty of worry." With the Lord's help, we can say to ourselves: I will not doubt this or that promise of the Lord now, but will trust blindly! In this way, we can avoid what James is talking about: “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind“ (Js 1:6). When we doubt, our heart is as restless as the troubled sea around us.
The Lord had to ask Peter: “‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Mt 14:31b). We can trust our great, good Lord that He only has good things in mind and will help us in every situation – just like Peter when he began to sink. Then, there is no more room for doubt in our hearts!
By the way, doubts do not change the situation. The only thing they change is our joy in the Lord. William Gurnall once explained it like this: "Weak faith will get the Christian to heaven just as surely as strong faith. But the weak and doubtful Christian does not have as pleasant a journey there as the Christian with strong faith. Although all the occupants of the ship reach the shore safely, the crossing is not as comfortable for the one who is seasick all the time as for the one who is strong and healthy."
Let us, therefore, look to Him with the Lord's help and find rest in His love and power. This will make doubts and the resulting fears disappear more and more. The Lord will keep us!
"He who puts all his trust in the Lord can be happy where others despair and give up hope." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
The Lord Jesus tells you today: "Do not be afraid! Leave no room for doubt in your heart. Even if your life situation seems hopeless, there is no reason to doubt My faithfulness, My power, or My love for you."
