September 7, 2017
Do you remember Doubting Thomas? After the Resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples on the night of the first Easter, what happened? Every single one of Thomas’ friends said, “We’ve seen the Lord! He’s alive!” There’s this whole big group of people – reliable people, known quantities, they’ve been Thomas’ closest friends for years – and they’re all saying the exact same thing, word for word, detail by detail. They’re all saying, “Thomas, He’s alive!” And Thomas is saying, “Come on!” I say: Thomas, why not doubt your doubt and believe your friends?
We do the same thing. Plenty of people will tell you they’ve experienced God in their lives; plenty of people will tell you God has answered their prayers; plenty of people will tell you God has changed their life. And we say, “Come on …”
I say to you: Come on! At least be intellectually honest! For example, maybe you doubt the existence of God. At least use common sense!
Think of it this way: Imagine looking at Mount Rushmore, upon which the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt are carved. Could you ever believe that came about by chance? Given infinite time, wind, and rain, it is still impossible to believe something like that randomly formed itself in the side of a mountain. Common sense tells us that someone planned it and carefully carved it.
And you look at this magnificent universe – this tremendously complex universe – common sense tells us that Someone planned it and put thought into it. The renowned scientist Sir Frederick Hoyle writes about the absurdity of believing that all of this – this amazing world – just came together by chance. He writes: “What are the chances that a tornado might blow through a junkyard containing all the parts of a 747, accidentally assemble them into a plane, and leave it ready for take-off?”
Common sense tells us: If there is a 747 sitting on the tarmac, ready for take-off, somebody has to have built that 747. And common sense tells us: If this complex universe exists, there has to be a Creator. When you consider all the beauty, and the complexity, and intricate order of the universe, it would take greater faith to believe in “random chance” than to believe in God!
Thomas would tell you: Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs.
What finally convinced Thomas? Not the testimony of all of his friends. Not intellect. Not common sense. Christ. The Risen, Living Christ stood before him and said, “Go ahead, Thomas. Feel the hole from the nail. Check out the gash in My side. Reach out your hand to Me and touch Me.”
If you’re having doubts, reach for Christ.
See, here’s what happens. We go through a dry spell, we start to have doubts, so we stop praying. We’re inconsistent with church. We don’t go for a few weeks and now God really seems far away and unreal.
My friend, if you’re having doubts, you’ve got to push deeper. Don’t give up. Push. Pray. Reach. Seek. The Bible says, “Seek the Lord with all your heart, and you will find Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
Doubt your doubts and reach for Christ. Doubt your doubts and reach for the Risen Christ. If you do that, one day… oh, man, one day you’ll have a rock-solid faith.