Faith of a Child

What jumped out at me this morning in 2 Kings 7 was the heavy consequence of one man's doubt. We weren't there, of course, to hear the vocal nuances, to see the body language and know the heart attitude, all of which probably indicated his contempt along with the doubt he expressed for the Word of God, spoken by the prophet Elisha - before a number of people. And, there should not have been any doubt, but rather rejoicing. Elisha was a recognized Man of God and prophet, respected by the king and people. His message began:

"Hear the Word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:"

The officer of the king died for his doubt. This got me to thinking of all the various accounts in Scripture where a Word from the Lord is given, questions are asked, doubt is expressed, or faith and belief - and then the various consequences. We know that God is fair and just, that he doesn't show favoritism. What we don't always know in these Bible stories are the heart motives, the inflections of the voices and body language , and who is there at the scene to observe and perhaps be stumbled by the doubt and or contempt for God's Word which is being expressed. There are many college professors and teachers today who are putting themselves in a very dangerous position.

We need more of the unquestioning faith of a child when confronted with Scripture and less of the "inquiring minds" of so-called science, logic and human reason. Faith is the shield that we have to hold up against doubt. Though, I deeply appreciate the work being done by Answers in Genesis and others to show that there are scientists who are not afraid to take a stand with their work and to reveal the misuse of evidence and prevalence of false assumptions in much of what passes for science now, and to bolster our faith with their research.

I love what the angel had to say when faced with the doubt of Zechariah:

"I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God..."

How awesome is that?