Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is trusting God despite our doubts.
Today, let’s take a look at a powerful conversation between Gideon and God—one that reveals the three most significant doubts the enemy tries to whisper in Gideon's (and our) ears:
1. Doubt of GodGideon's first response when an angel of the Lord appeared was:
“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about?” – Judges 6:13
Sound familiar? One of the most frequently asked questions by believers and non-believers alike is, “If there is a God, why do bad things happen?”
Don’t let the enemy drag your thoughts down that path. Why God does or does not allow certain painful things to take place in our lives is knowledge that is too wonderful for us (Job 42:3).
How does God respond to Gideon’s doubt? “You go and do something about it!” (Judges 6:14). God’s answer to suffering is often us–we are God’s hands and feet in this world. He is absolutely capable of giving us instant rescue from our troubles, but He asks us to step up and be the solution.
2. Doubt of selfIf he can’t make us doubt God’s goodness, the devil will try to make us doubt ourselves. As we saw yesterday, Gideon thinks of himself as weak and insignificant. God essentially reminds him that our qualifications don’t matter when God’s presence is with us (Judges 6:15-16).
3. Doubt of callingThe final doubt expressed by Gideon is:
“give me a sign that it is really You talking to me” (Judges 6:17).
The last resort of the devil to keep us from reaching our full potential is to convince us that God is not really calling us. Satan loves passive Christians who do not listen and follow when God leads them.
Gideon asks God for a sign to be sure, and you can do so too, friend, if you are ever unsure about hearing God’s voice!
We can learn from Gideon’s story that God is incredibly patient with our doubts.
Despite all his doubts, Gideon is listed in the Heroes of Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.
I have said it before and will say it again: Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is trusting God despite our doubts.
