Can anything good come from Nazareth? Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree. - Jn 1:46-48
Friends, God is good all the time!
Doubt is the enemy of so many Christians, who approach God or respond to Him with minds and hearts conditioned to judge God in human standards. But, you see, God is not human and cannot be conceived to act purely in rational ways. Nathaniel's story in the gospel shows how we should surrender our doubts to the Lord to be transformed into strong belief and conviction that produce profound effect.
Invited to encounter Jesus of Nazareth the first time by his friend Philip, Nathaniel starts his adventure with Jesus on the frontiers of doubt. He said to Philip, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" But he is soon to discover the many hidden blessings awaiting him from this Jesus of Nazareth. After experiencing Jesus who proved to him that He is God, and not a man, and that He can reach the deepest parts of the human soul, mind, and nature, Nathaniel submits his doubt at the feet of Jesus and declares, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus turned Nathaniel into an apostle who became known as Bartholomew. So, doubt does not win us God's favor. Absolute faith in God does. We see how Nathaniel's willingness to step aside from the frontiers of doubt became the reason for being counted among the apostles. Within us, weaknesses abound. But God always endows us with strengths to accomplish more than we can see in ourselves. The power of the savior Jesus Christ is still more reliable than our weaknesses.
It always works in our favor if we trust God and rely on Him without doubting what He can do for us or with us, or what we can do. St Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." Jesus always proves to us that there is no reason for any disciple to doubt God or herself. It is God who works in and through us to accomplish His will and purpose. When we realize that doubt is baseless, we move beyond any shred of doubt to hold absolute trust in God.
Prayer blessing: Lord, you search me, and you know me. You perceive my rising and sleeping; you know when I stand or fall. Cloth me with your own strengths so that I may be the best version of myself to glorify you. Amen.