Doubt Versus Faith

““How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”” (Luke 1:18, HCSB)

Zechariah questioned God in a spirit of doubt. After the experiences of Abraham, Zechariah, a priest of God, should have known that God uses His angels to deliver His messages and he should have known that God would deliver on His promises. However, Zechariah doubted. For him, the cost was to be unable to speak the words of God. God shut him up. The same consequence can happen to people who should know that they can trust God, and yet continue to doubt.

“Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”” (Luke 1:34, HCSB)

Mary, on the other hand, asked a legitimate question. Unlike Zechariah, who asked a question which God already answered with Abraham, Mary asked a question which makes sense. She wasn’t pregnant. She didn’t doubt God. She just did not understand how God would make her pregnant. There is a difference between questioning God because you doubt Him, and questioning God because you don’t know how He can do something.  Doubting implies that you don’t think He can do the task. Questioning how He is going to do something means you think He can, but you don’t know what He is going to do. In this case, God answered clearly. But look at how Mary answers God after He tells her that the Holy Spirit will make her pregnant.

“The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:35–38, HCSB)

Gabriel tells her how she will have a child. Then he tells her that her relative is also pregnant even though she was childless. For a woman, this probably reassured her faith. The angel mentions “for nothing will be impossible with God.” To put it another way, “God will do anything.” Notice Mary’s response. She trusted the angel with faith. “May it be done according to your word.” She trusted God’s word. What an eloquent way to show faith. So the next time God comes to you and shows you something that you can be done, don’t doubt Him. When He comes to you with something you don’t understand, ask Him for clarification, and then trust Him with the results.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash