Doubt Isn't Fatal
Everyone has moments of doubt, especially in times when it really looks like we were wrong about God and His goodness. But doubt doesn't have to win in your life!
Paul Tillich once said, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” Interesting!
Real life is filled with moments of doubt, and any honest person has to admit that doubt occasionally rears its ugly head. Being honest about this is the key to passing through it well.
The mistake is twofold: trying to ignore doubt or allowing doubt to swallow our lives whole. Both reactions are wrong because they deny reality. Pretending I’m not suffering from doubt and allowing doubt to make me its prisoner are both wrong.
But there is a path forward if we desire it.
Too often, moments of doubt are used by the enemy of your soul to cause you to give up or hide in shame. But doubt has never been fatal if it’s dealt with wisdom and patience. On this day, when we recall the ministry of St. John the Baptist, doubt can become a moment of truth and revelation!
Look at our Gospel Lesson today in Matthew 11:2-15:
At that time, when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
St. John the Forerunner is jailed because of his unflinching message of moral clarity and bold declaration of timeless truths in the face of a society bent on making excuses for their embrace of immorality. He has staked his life on the timeless truth of God’s wisdom and our Lord Jesus's identity as the One God sent to Israel as Messiah. And now he is going to be executed! In the face of this pressure, he wonders, “Am I wrong?”
Look how God's love makes St. John’s moment of doubt harmless.
First, He tells the men John sent to question the Lord, “Go and Tell what you See and Hear.” You see, doubt isn’t overcome merely by thinking about it. Doubt melts in the face of active observation of God’s work. Philosophy and mere intellectual pursuit are good, but they will never be enough to overcome doubt if they aren’t married to action! Some of the most educated people I know are unbelievers!
Second, Jesus teaches that doubt melts when the Good News is put into action. Just as doubt melts in the face of observing the work of God, so doubt melts when real people have their lives transformed by the Good News. Observation is just the first step in melting doubt. The next step comes when the Good News affects and transforms your life. The Orthodox faith isn’t a spectator’s sport. We are meant to PRACTICE the faith BECAUSE when you do the faith, you are transformed. And that melts doubt completely.
Finally, doubt melts when you know who you really are. Our Lord finishes this ministry to St. John at his darkest hour by reaffirming his true identity. John is the last Old Testament prophet. He is the promised Prophet who was to come to prepare the way for the Messiah. It didn’t matter that the majority of Israel didn’t believe it. His true identity melted the doubt he struggled with at this terrible moment.
Today’s commemoration of St. John the Baptist and the 1st and 2nd finding of the head of the saint. By the way, I find it fascinating how the Historic Church has us remember events like this. As someone who converted to Orthodoxy, I am not formed to think this way. The power of this type of religious formation is so critical to breaking down our fear of death and our wonderful celebration of the physical creation of God! Why do events like this happen, and why do we focus on them as Normal Orthodox Christians? Because the blessed Forerunner marks the miraculous transition from the shadows of the first covenant in the Old Testament and the revelation of the Light of the World in the coming of Jesus Christ. This focus on the relics, especially the head of the Baptist, is a powerful reminder we Christians refuse to allow anything as defeated as death to keep us in fear and despair! We can lose our faith, but don’t despair. It can be recovered!
Everybody has moments of doubt, but those moments don’t have to sideline your faith permanently. Let your doubt pass in light of the power of being a Normal Orthodox Christian!
P.S. The Forerunner's sacred head, having dawned forth from the earth, does send incorruption's rays unto the faithful, whereby they find healings of their ills. From on high he gathers the choirs of the Angels and on earth he summons the whole race of mankind, that they with one voice might send up glory to Christ our God.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV
