Today I Choose to Believe

When I begin my daily Bible reading, I ask God to show me His truths, to open the eyes of my understanding that I might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 22:45). I want to know Him more. And He is faithful to answer that prayer.

Recently, I’ve been rereading Exodus. I have always wondered how the Israelites could continually doubt God’s ability and provision when they experienced such amazing miracles.

Admittedly, at one point in my life I realized I wasn’t any different. No matter how often God answered my prayers, I would doubt Him the next time a need arose. But I also reasoned, what He did in my life certainly did not have the awe-inspiring element of the ten plagues and deliverance in the wilderness that they experienced.

One morning as I read Exodus 8, a few verses jumped out at me. At this point in the Exodus story, all of Egypt and those in Goshen had suffered the plague of blood, plague of frogs, and plague of gnats. Now God was going to do something different.

“But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that I am present even in the heart of your land. I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people” (Exodus 8:22-23a).

I knew the Israelites didn’t suffer through all the plagues like the Egyptians did. But what struck me that day was the fact that even though God intended this distinction as a witness to the Egyptians, it also served as a witness to the Israelites. Remember, they had been in Egypt in slavery for some 400 years. I imagine they had plenty of doubt about God.

Let’s fast forward.

God sent seven more plagues, delivered them from Egypt with the wealth of the Egyptians in their pockets, split the Red Sea for them but drowned the Egyptians in it, brought water from a rock, and fed them with manna and quail.

Now we come to Numbers 13. They’ve arrived at the Promised Land and have sent twelve spies to scope things out. Ten of the spies give a bad report, but Joshua and Caleb say, “We can certainly conquer it!” (Numbers 13:30 NLT).

The Israelites believe the ten. They moan and groan and threaten to stone Joshua and Caleb. And God responds to Moses with, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?” (Numbers 14:11 NLT).

Wow! Even God seems a bit incredulous about their unbelief.

The point I want to make here is that believing is a choice.

Satan wants us to think we need to see to believe. But they saw and still not believe.

There’s nothing for it except to choose to believe.

The Israelites did not “purpose in their heart” (Daniel 1:8), nor were they “fully persuaded” (Romans 4:21) as Abraham was, nor did they choose to believe and serve God (Joshua 24:15) as Joshua did.

Purposing, being persuaded, and choosing are deliberate acts of our free will. We must all make these choices and in doing so, we puts doubt to death.

To grow our faith, we must use our faith and use it at the level we can believe for. For example, when I was ill with shingles several years ago, I didn’t have the faith to believe for complete healing overnight. But I did have faith to believe that if I spent time praising and worshiping God as Paul and Silas did while in prison, the excruciating pain in my back would subside.

I got up and started praising and worshiping the Lord. My pain subsided enough that I was able to go back to bed and go to sleep. By morning the pain was gone.

Do not allow the devil to shame you about the level of your faith. Even Abraham, the father of faith, experienced this same process. First, he chose to believe and left Haran. Then as he walked day by day experiencing God’s direction and provision he became fully persuaded.

Will you pray this prayer with me?

Father, forgive me for doubting You. Today, I have decided. I choose to believe You. I am fully persuaded that what You have promised, You are able to perform. I purpose in my heart to believe You and to follow You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.