The truth that outlasts every doubt

If you are like most Christians, there have been times in your life when you wondered, Does God really exist? Is all this stuff in the Bible even real? How can I be sure that Christianity is more than just a myth?

To help you in times of doubt, let me ask you an important question: As you look back on your life, can you point to at least one event that can be explained only by the supernatural work of God?

I believe God still works miracles today. Though miracles are rare, God sometimes divinely invades our lives to confront our doubts and confirm our faith. I call these supernatural experiences “milestone moments.”

Have you had a milestone moment? Maybe it was a clear answer to prayer. Maybe it was God meeting a specific need at just the right time. Maybe it was a so-called coincidence that cannot be explained by anything but the hand of God.

In Luke 9, three of Jesus’s disciples had a milestone moment. It came after Jesus first prophesied His death. Perhaps these disciples began to doubt, wondering, Is Jesus really the Messiah? After all, the Messiah is supposed to deliver us from Roman oppression, not suffer under it. Maybe they worried that they were going to suffer and die as well.

When the disciples started to doubt, Jesus gave them a supernatural experience they would never forget. We call this event the transfiguration.

You may remember the story: Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him up on a mountain to pray. Verse 29 says, “While He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.” As the disciples saw Jesus in all His glory, “a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!’” (vv. 34-35).

This cloud was the Shekinah, a Hebrew word used for the presence of God. God the Father was saying plainly to these doubting disciples, “This is My beloved Son, so you should listen to everything He says.” This supernatural experience left no room for doubt about who Jesus was.

Our milestone moments today may not be as dramatic as the transfiguration. But I believe God still displays His power and providence to us in miraculous ways to ease our doubts and encourage our obedience. Let me share three important truths about milestone moments in our lives.

1. Milestone moments are necessary. Unlike the Israelites, who witnessed the Red Sea parting, and the apostles, who interacted with Jesus on earth, you and I can’t see God visibly. That’s why I believe that every now and then, God allows us to have supernatural experiences that confirm our faith.
2. Milestone moments are extraordinary. Some Christians call every good thing that happens in their lives a miracle. If it’s raining when they go shopping and a parking spot opens up near the store, they say, “God gave me a miracle!” This trivializes true miracles from God, which occur rarely.
3. Milestone moments are secondary to God’s Word. The supernatural experiences God gives us can be very meaningful, but their effectiveness wears off. After all, it wasn’t long after the transfiguration that Peter denied Jesus.

That’s why whenever we have times of doubt, even if God chooses to give us a miracle, we must go to Scripture. Ultimately, our faith cannot be centered on experiences; it must be centered on the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

Milestone moments are fleeting, but God’s Word is forever.