“But one of the Twelve, Thomas (called ‘Twin’), was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!'”

John 20:24-25

He is often referred to as “doubting Thomas.” It really seems only logical when we give consideration to the two verses quoted above. Notice how emphatic Thomas was as he made his assertion: “I will never believe!” (emphasis added) However, lest we come down too hard on Thomas let’s remember that all of the disciples doubted. It was not until after the personal experience of the power of the resurrection that any of them truly believed.

Doubt. It can be a fleeting thought, or it can be a captivating enslavement to questions concerning our faith. And if we, like Thomas, allow it to enslave us, then we lose the intimacy of fellowship with our Lord, and with fellow believers. Doubt, as we said about despair, can have a paralyzing affect on those who succumb to its power.

Think with me for a moment about a very common example of doubt. Have you ever been reading the Bible when you come across one of those stories of an astounding display of God’s miraculous power? We’ll use Jonah for a case study. It is a truly fantastic tale, wouldn’t you agree? Not just the story of Jonah being swallowed by a giant fish, but the entire book.

There is really no problem with the part of the story that tells us of a wandering, backslidden prophet. We can all relate to that part of the narrative. We may not even have any difficulty believing the part about the horrific storm that caused even seasoned sailors to fear for their lives. We may not have any difficulty believing the end of the story, where God causes the gourd to grow which provided shade for Jonah temporarily.

But think for a moment, not about the occurrence of those events, but the timing. Was it coincidence that the storm arose at that precise moment? Was it coincidence that when the sailors decided their only hope was to throw Jonah overboard, the giant fish was there, waiting to swallow the wayward prophet? Was it coincidence that the gourd grew at just the right time to provide Jonah shade from the blazing, burning sun? And, what about that giant fish? Did that really happen?

There – there it is: that moment of doubt. Did that really happen? It is at that moment in time that we have to decide: fact, or allegorical fiction? Did the events recorded in the book of Jonah really happen, or is it simply a fabricated tale which was created to teach valuable lessons of faith and practice.

And, of course, it is not just this fantastic tale, but there are so many others in the Bible that would cause us to ponder the question, “Did that really happen? Or is it a powerful story that has deep spiritual truths to help me grow in my relationship with God?

Did God really create everything out of nothing? Does God providentially guide in the affairs of mankind? Did the ten plagues against Egypt really happen? Did God really provide for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness forty years? Were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego really thrown into that fiery furnace? Did Elijah and Elisha really perform the miracles they are said to have performed? Did Jesus really raise the dead? Cause the blind to see? Cause the deaf to hear? Cause the lame to walk? Did Jesus really arise from the grave?

We can respond to each of these by faith, or by doubt? If we choose to doubt one, then we will end up doubting all. But if we by faith believe one, then we will have a much better chance of believing all.

This certainly doesn’t mean that we will never again experience moments, or even seasons, of doubt. But faith gives us the ability to see beyond the doubt, to embrace the veracity of the story, and to grow in our faith because we are willing to believe the unbelievable.

Perhaps something has rocked your world recently, and you are reeling in the quandary of doubt. Perhaps that doubt has caused a grievous breach in your spiritual defense system. Perhaps you are right now wondering if God’s Word can be trusted, and it is causing your trust in God Himself to dwindle.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is by faith we believe that the worlds were formed by the word of God. We don’t have empirical evidence, but we have the trustworthy Word of God. The Bible tells us that faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Again, no empirical evidence, but the personal testimony of those who have experienced the victory God gives, even when we can’t explain it.

Did Thomas overcome his doubt? Yes, but only after he had seen the risen Lord. But the Lord’s response to Thomas is what we need to give special attention to:

“Jesus said, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed.'”

John 20:29

Let’s, by faith, truly believe. And our belief will give us victory over whatever the world throws at us. Remember, this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Let us live by faith, seeing the invisible, and not by sight, allowing the troubles and trials of this life to cause us to doubt the wonderful promises of our Great God!