Sometimes I wonder if God and Jesus are real. Yes, sometimes I’m overcome with doubt and then I wonder. But then I think to myself that my father and all the other great theologians would certainly not have missed the mark. 

Then I pity people who don’t believe. One day they will get such a big surprise at the gates, and it will be far too late. 

Peter noticed that some of the people to whom he was writing his letters were also beginning to doubt. They expected a different world when Jesus came and then everything still looked the same. So, they started asking questions about Jesus. 

That’s why Peter recalls one great event from his past to help the reader drive away doubt and make room for faith. Peter tells of the time when he and his two friends went up Mount Hermon with Jesus. 

It was a few days before Jesus was to be imprisoned and he wanted to pray. One can understand this, because the path that Jesus had to walk was by no means easy and He wanted to talk to His Father about it. 

In this very difficult hour, Jesus took His three best friends with him. Peter and the two brothers James and John. Interesting that all three ended up being authors of the Bible. 

When they got to the top of the mountain, it was as if God pulled out all the stops. Two big guns from the past also made their appearance. They began to talk to Jesus about the task ahead. 

Moses had to be there, because his prophecy about Jesus would soon come true and the laws he brought from the mountain would now be put in a completely different light. Elijah was certainly the epitome of the forerunner of the Savior. 

Peter takes his readers back to this wonderful moment in his life: 17We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: 18 “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears. 

Wow, what a great life-changing moment that must have been in these men’s lives! What Jesus taught them, the new news He came to tell about God, is forever engraved in Peter’s being and memory. 

And yet another week later, when Jesus died on the cross, Peter lost his faith. Fear and emotions, exhaustion and shattered dreams, and uncertainty about what was coming caused doubt to creep in. 

It’s human to doubt sometimes. But at times like these, we should read God’s Word. At times like these, we need to calm down and allow the Holy Spirit to dispel the doubts in us, so that we can once again believe in a mighty God who loves His children so much that He was willing to let His son die on a cross, so that you and I do not have to pay for our sins! I believe in God for sure! 

Scripture
2 Peter 1:16-21  

Reflection
Do you sometimes doubt?
How do you rekindle your faith?
How do you strengthen your faith? 

Prayer
Father, forgive me for sometimes falling and doubting. Help me up, because I believe in You! Amen.