Doubt vs. Disbelief

Here's an interesting thought. I had never thought about it until my dad mentioned to me this week that there is actually a difference between doubt and disbelief.

"Then John's disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, 'Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?'" Luke 7:18-19

John the Baptist is the one who had been appointed to prepare the way for Jesus. The one who knew before Jesus came on the scene that he was to announce the coming of the Savior. John the Baptist is the one who said "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I told you about: 'After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.'" (John 1:29:30)

And now John is in prison, and he is starting to doubt. He wonders whether he had it all wrong. Had he wasted his life? Had he 'prepared the way' for the wrong guy?

John believed that Jesus was the Messiah. He believed that Jesus was the one who would save the world from sin. But when things didn't quite go according to his plan, he started to doubt. He began to question Jesus - "Are you the one, or should we look for someone else?"

The pharisees and religious leaders, on the other hand, never even believed that Jesus was the one. They believed he was a liar and a blasphemer. They chose to reject Jesus from the beginning.

We do this all the time. Think about it. Do you like to ride roller coasters? I do. I love the rush, the thrill, the ups and downs. It's a total rush. I believe that the ride is safe. I believe that if I strap into the car, I will get out unharmed at the end of the ride. But I have to say, I tend to have my doubts as soon as we hit that first big drop. "What if this thing crashes?" "What if my seat bar comes undone?" There are a lot of things that can cause doubt. I got on the ride. I believe the ride works, but that doesn't guarantee I won't doubt.

As we go through life, we face tough things. We believe that God is directing our lives. We believe that God is in control. We place our trust in Him. We choose to give our lives over to Him and follow his leading. But that doesn't mean we never doubt. That doesn't mean we won't sometimes question. The important thing is, that even though we doubt, we don't try to get off the ride! Suppose you were riding that roller coaster and you started to doubt. What would happen if you tried to get off in the middle of the ride? The results would be disastrous. Better to hang in there, rely on the faith that got you there in the first place, and finish the ride.

I think faith in God works a lot like that. It's easy to believe when things are good. But when things start to get tough is not the time to abandon your beliefs! When doubt creeps in, that's the time to embrace your faith all the more.

Whatever you are facing, when doubt creeps in, keep your seatbelt on and keep trusting Jesus to get you to the end of the ride.