Matthew 28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

Doubt or worship. Disbelief or renewed faith. These are different responses to the same reality that Jesus is alive. Jesus is standing before the disciples, risen from the dead, and yet some doubted and others believed. When I read this scripture I am perplexed regarding how doubt could survive in the same room as the risen Savior. I still don’t understand it completely except to remember that Jesus did say earlier in His ministry that even if someone rose from the grave, some would still not believe. This encounter is evidence that His theory was correct. What people see does not determine what people believe.

This scripture is evidence that faith is not necessarily even strengthened by what you see. There is a factor of the will to choose to believe or doubt despite what you are seeing or not seeing. Matthew’s gospel demonstration of how doubt can survive in the most glorious situations because of people’s refusal to believe also points us to the power of faith. However, just as doubt can survive in the presence of glory, faith can survive the most desperate of situations…if you choose to believe.

What you see or do not see is not the determining factor of what you believe. God has given you the ability to choose what you believe despite what you see around you. There is great danger in always demanding evidence that you can see regarding what you believe. If you do not engage your faith regarding what you cannot see, at some point in your journey, you may deny the evidence that you can see. This was the case for some of these early disciples.

Today’s Challenge: Learn to believe despite what you see. Today is an opportunity to express faith in Christ. Some of what you see will encourage you to worship. Some of what you see will make you wonder what God’s plan is. However, everything you see is an opportunity to engage your faith over what you see.