Doubt, an Obstacle to Receiving an Answer

Doubt and fear are the twin enemies of faith. Sometimes they even usurp the place of faith, and although we set ourselves to pray, the prayer we offer is filled with uneasiness, anguish, and complaints. Peter failed in his walk upon the Sea of Gennesaret because he allowed the waves breaking over him to rob him of the power of his faith. Taking his eyes off the Lord and looking at the threatening water around him, he began to sink and to cry out desperately for help.

Doubts must never be allowed, nor can we let our minds “manufacture” fears at will. No child of God should make himself a martyr to fear and doubt. Harboring doubts about God does no credit to any man’s mental capacity, nor can such a person expect to receive consolation with an attitude like that. We must take our eyes off ourselves, off our own weakness and ineptitude, and allow them to rest solely on the power of God. “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Heb. 10:35). A simple but steadfast faith, lived out day by day, will dispel every fear and every shadow of doubt.

(Source: E. M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer)