In Matthew 14:22-33, we have the account of Peter walking to the Lord Jesus upon the waters of the lake of Gennesaret.  The Lord had called to Peter to come to him on the water and Peter obeyed the voice of the Lord.  However, once Peter took his eyes off the Lord, he began to notice the movement of the water beneath him and began to sink.  He then prayed the shortest prayer in the Bible.  In Matthew 14:30 we read, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”  What happens next is very instructive for us.  We read in verse 31, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  Peter, who had faith, obviously allowed his doubt to overcome his faith in this situation.  The word ‘doubt’ means to waver or hesitate.

Doubt can cause serious problems for the believer.  Let’s look at the words of the Lord Jesus in Mark 11:23-24, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”  This shows us that doubt can hinder our ability to serve the Lord affectively.  How are we supposed to understand these verses?  Does this mean that if you have enough faith that you can command a mountain to move, it will?  Actually, I’ve never witnessed nor heard of anyone moving a physical mountain from its location.  Rather, this speaks of obstructions that get in our way when we seek to live for Christ.  Through faith, and without doubt, we can move those obstructions out of our way so that we might live for and serve the Lord more effectively.  Faith and doubt are natural enemies.

Doubt can hinder our prayers.  If we address the Lord in prayer, casting our cares before Him, but doubt His love, power, or ability to minister to our needs, then we most likely will not receive blessings from the Lord.  It is true that many times we do not know or understand HOW the Lord will answer our prayers, but there is no need to doubt that He WILL answer our prayers according to His perfect will in timing.

Neither should there be any doubt when we sense the Lord’s leading for us.  We read of Peter in Acts 10:19-20, “While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, DOUBTING NOTHING: for I have sent them.”  Peter was being asked to do something that went against all he had ever been taught.  Yet, the Lord tells Peter to act in obedience and not to doubt.  Today, we should read the Word of God and allow it to guide us, no matter what the world might say or do.  Our allegiance is to the Lord and we should not let the world’s opinion cause us to doubt God’s Word.

Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, said to Daniel in Daniel 5:16, “And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts…”  Belshazzar had seen the ‘writing on the wall’ and had been told that Daniel could interpret this mysterious message that appeared on his wall.  He understood that by learning the truth, that doubt would be dissolved, or removed.  Oh, that we, as God’s people, would learn such a lesson!  The more we truly sit at the feet of the Lord, and allow Him to teach us through His Word, our doubts would simply melt away.  Our assurance in the power and love of the Lord would grow, and our doubts about Him would disappear.  James 1:6 tells us, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (doubting). For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”  (201.2)