Recently, the question came to mind: “What do we do with doubt?”
As I pondered this question, I thought of three stories with Jesus and people who had doubt. I want to go through each of those and then at the end, look at similarities that I found.
1. Wind and Waves Obey Jesus
Luke 8:22-25
Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
The disciples were with Jesus in a boat in a lake. A storm came up and the boat was filling with water. Jesus was asleep through it! The disciples woke him up, scared they were all going to die. He woke up, calmed the wind and waves, and then asked where their faith was.
2. Peter Walking on Water
Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 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?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
Peter got out of the boat in the middle of the storm. He had faith! He started walking on water. But then he was looking at the storm around him, was afraid, and started sinking. He cried out to Jesus and Jesus caught him. Then Jesus asked him why he doubted.
2. A Boy is Delivered and Healed
Mark 9: 14-29
And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. "And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. "And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
This father had faith that Jesus and his disciples would be able to cast out the demon that was tormenting his son. The disciples couldn’t do it though. Jesus encouraged the man to believe and he said such an incredible prayer. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” As frustrating as it is, sometimes both belief and unbelief can co-exist. But this man pressed forward and continued in the belief that he had to ask Jesus for healing and deliverance for his son, and it came.
What are the similarities?
In these three stories I see a couple of similarities.
First, all three of these stories began with faith. You have a bunch of disciples who have devoted their lives to following Jesus, Peter - a specific disciple - who actually got out of the boat to walk on water, and a dad who had faith that Jesus and his followers could heal and deliver. But in all of these stories, frustrating and/or scary situations came up. Fear and doubt creeped in. Fear for their lives, fear of no breakthrough and a situation staying the same. Doubts - Maybe Jesus doesn’t care if we die… Maybe Jesus and his followers can’t actually heal.
BUT the second similarity I see is where all three of these stories had a turning point. They didn’t just keep their doubt internal or dwell on it. They ALL cried out to Jesus. They took the faith that they had and used it, however small it was, to propel them to the one with all the answers.
"Master, Master, we are perishing!"
"Lord, save me!"
"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
The goal is not to live in a perpetual state of unbelief/belief. But like a child learning to walk, something may come up and cause a stumble. If you are in a moment or even a season of doubt though - Look to Jesus.
Take your doubt to him. Tell him, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
He will.
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