Whac-A-Mole: Atheism — Tuesday
Luke 17:5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (ESV)
Recently, I spoke to the mom of one of the sophomore boys I lead at Southland Students. She went on to tell me she was concerned because her son had told her he believed in Jesus, but not God. I was taken back a bit, but I wasn’t disheartened.
We all face doubt one way or another in our faith, because faith requires trust and, well… faith. An interesting quote I heard when learning more about atheism in culture today was this: “People seldom call 911 when all is well.” We live in an instant-gratification culture, but we’re also relatively comfortable. Atheism can actually come across as the simpler option in life and, arguably, is easy to turn to in the face of immense uncertainty and doubt. If I'm uncertain God is real, I can solve that quickly by just saying He isn’t and moving on. And in a culture where we have minimal risk, relatively consistent experiences, and overall security, there’s often not much pressing us to pursue further, or to “dial 911.”
I told the mom I talked with that of all the scenarios a sophomore boy could have talked about, I prefer specific doubt over ambiguous apathy. The other thing about doubt we have to consider is that, at one time or another, an atheist will probably have to face the fact that they do believe in something, and they’ll naturally want to make sure they’re correct in that belief. And this is where doubt can actually be helpful.
I’ve heard it said before that an atheist who is dedicated to validating their beliefs is on the fast track toward God’s existence. Jesus and Christianity have faced a history of unprecedented scrutiny, yet the Christian faith continues to thrive and remain relevant today. With that in mind, we can be confident that Jesus always perseveres, and that He can handle our doubt. No matter how much we struggle with doubt, we can be certain that God is able and willing to renew our faith.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Are you curious if Jesus can handle your doubt? Check out Mark 9:22b-24, when the disciples were literally with Jesus and yet still floundered with their sinful decisions and doubt. Pray today and be honest with God about where you doubt, and ask Him for patience and faith.
