What Do You Doubt About, and Why?

This week I have been reading about one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament, Elijah. What a stud! He challenged hundreds of other prophets, who believed in another god, to a show down. He had himself and the other prophets each build altars to their god. Then who ever could invoke their God to bring down fire upon their altar would be declared the real god. This took a lot of faith.

After taunting these other prophets and making fun of their god's fire-lighting impotence, he then has people completely saturate his altar with water. Then he confidently calls upon his God, Yahweh, and fire comes down from heaven and completely burns up his altar. What a remarkable and spectacular victory! What faith and fearlessness!

However, notice how quickly the faith had turned to fear and how almost instantaneously Elijah defaulted to doubt. When Elijah had returned from this mountain top experience, (it truly occurred on a mountain) he hears that the queen of the land wants to kill him. Eliah's response was one of fear not faith. Elijah doubted that God would save him. Elijah took off to run and hide. What a remarkable transformation! What fear and faithlessness! How did this happen?

There does seem to be a default to doubt in all of us. What contributes to such a tendency to doubt so quickly? Even Peter, who was at one moment walking on water with Jesus began to doubt and subsequently sink. Jesus, was heavy-hearted and asked Peter in Matthew 14:31, "...why did you doubt?"

In one sense Jesus' question is rhetorical, and yet it demands an answer. Why do we so quickly doubt? Are you doubting today? What do you doubt about? More importantly, why do you and I default to doubt so easily and so quickly? I doubt, not because I question God's ability, but because I question God's intention for my life. Is God's intention always for good in my life? I doubt because I question God's goodness. In light of this default to doubt in my own life, I have to ask myself, what would my life be like, if I never doubted God's goodness.

I welcome your thoughts. Beams Away!