If you witnessed Jesus calm a storm, heal the sick, and raise the dead, would you ever doubt Him again?
The disciples did. After hearing the others say they had seen the risen Christ, Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) One week later, Jesus let him do exactly that, and then said, “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27) Even during The Great Commission, when the eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee to hear the risen Christ, the Bible says, “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17)
The disciples needed convincing, over and over, before they changed into champions of Christ. The lessons they learned from Jesus in the Upper Room became more irrefutable over time. So, if your faith hasn’t developed in a flash, like the Apostle Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), you’re in really good company.
Billy Graham, who preached the Gospel to nearly 215,000,000 people in more than 185 countries and territories, described the subtle change he felt after giving his life to Christ: “No bells went off inside me, no signs flashed across the tabernacle ceiling,” Graham said. “I simply felt at peace. Happy and peaceful.”
Even C.S. Lewis, the author of several famous Christian books, lived as an atheist through his 20s. In Mere Christianity, Lewis wrote about how the development of faith takes time. “God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind, but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better, but like turning a horse into a winged creature. But there may be a period, while the wings are just beginning to grow, when it cannot do so.”
Whenever I encounter stumbling blocks to my faith, I try to remember that the answers to life’s questions are written down in the Bible. In this season of Lent, let’s develop our faith by reading scripture and thanking God through prayer for his incredible love and grace, personified in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Thankfully, it does not mention a stopwatch.
Ed Doney, Writer/Videographer
