Don’t Trust Your Doubts
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The following article has been excerpted from Called to the Wild by Christopher Lawrence.
Shortly before dawn (Jesus) went out to them, walking on the lake.
-Mark 6:48
I felt the wave rise behind me as I began paddling furiously.
The curling force of water carried me forward as I stood cautiously on my longboard and started carving left on the glassy wave’s face and then shot back up the shoulder.
I rode triumphantly atop the central Californian wave for nearly 15 seconds—one of my longest surfs.
It takes a lot of practice to surf a wave. To surf is to walk on water—or as close as a human can get. The combination of velocity, buoyancy and surface tension allows this feat.
Yet Jesus, because he was God, actually walked on water, sans surfboard.
I sometimes wonder how He felt after treading upon the Sea of Galilee.
The disciples didn’t believe it, thinking Jesus was somehow a ghost. Just hours earlier, Jesus created a banquet from breadcrumbs, miraculously feeding 5,000 people. Still, their faith was weak.
They refused to believe because “their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52).
We, too, can easily be slow to believe.
God’s acts sometimes defy expectation or logic, but he is the master of every circumstance.
As believers, we are called to believe Jesus for the impossible, knowing that he can accomplish whatever he wants.
Like the disciples, sometimes our lack of faith makes us look more like his opponents, rather than his followers. We are slow to believe, quick to question and quick to demand proof. We tend to protect our own power and interests, rather than trusting God to take care of us.
When we fail to believe, and our faith quickly atrophies like an unused muscle. We need to lean into belief, instead of doubt, like how surfers lean their weight forward to catch a wave.
Every day, we experience the miracle of a beating heart, the perceptible lub dub, lub dub, lub dub. We easily stop appreciating how God constantly orchestrates this in our body, along with eyes that see, lungs that breath and vessels and arteries that transport blood and oxygen throughout our body.
One of the biggest miracles God accomplishes is bringing people to himself. To see a heart turn from self and toward Jesus is nothing short of astounding. If you are reading this and you believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are a living miracle.
When you read Scripture, or hear a sermon, are you eager to obey Christ, repent of sin and trust God? Do you desire that others would know Christ? In the light of eternity, these seemingly small, but eternally significant desires prove the greatest God-caused miracles of all.
We should be thankful. And this gratitude should fuel our prayers with greater boldness and belief.
When was the last time you prayed for Jesus to bring an improbable person to faith? Or to heal someone? This is not inconceivable, for he is “Lord of the Harvest” and can heal with a word.
While he doesn’t always give us what we ask, he is always able. Just because we don’t see an immediate answer, it does not mean he is not working through our prayers.
Let God be the defibrillator of faith to resuscitate our hearts so we can breathe the air of belief. For God has no limits.
As Jesus said, "What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
His works far exceed what any human can do. And while something like surfing is impressive, it pales in comparison to what Jesus does every day, as he continually “works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).
He alone performs miracles.
Question:
What is something miraculous you have you seen or heard God do recently?
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me of my doubt and increase my faith. Make me the type of person who asks you for big requests and believes you can—and even will—do them. Amen.
From one Adventurer to Another
Called to the Wild is a 40-day journey filled with thrilling adventure stories and poignant Biblical meditations, through which outdoor guide and Cru campus minister, Chris Lawrence, helps readers overcome fear and self-doubt by learning to follow Jesus as their trustworthy Guide through life’s every adventure.
