Daily Gospel

PSALM 95:9
9 For there your ancestors tried my patience;
they courted my wrath though they had seen my many miracles.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 _ So in my anger I made a vow:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

God gives us plenty of evidence to believe in him. Doubt comes when we fail to stop long enough to observe all the evidence. And when doubt turns to lack of trust, we are in danger of ignoring God altogether.

JOHN 20:27-29

27 _ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 _ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”
30 _ Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.

Doubt can be healthy or destructive, depending on how we use it.

GENESIS 3:4-6
4“You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. 5 _ “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”
6 _ The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.

One of Satan’s tactics is to get us to doubt God’s goodness. He tries to get us to forget all God has given us and focus on what we don’t have. If you are spending much of your time thinking about what you don’t have, you may be slipping into unhealthy doubt.