John the Baptist was an extraordinary man. His birth was a miracle as his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth were aged and his mother was barren. They were descendants of Aaron, from the priestly tribe of Levi. Both of them were upright in the sight of God and observed God’s commandments blamelessly. He was born for a purpose and it was prophesied by Isaiah, as one who prepares the way for the Lord and points others to the Messiah.

He was brought up as a Nazirite, never to take wine or fermented drink. He ate locusts and wild honey and lived in the desert. His parents must have told him from young that his sole purpose and mission was to be “a voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). He knew and understood God’s call and he pursued it with his whole heart and life. He was determined.

He proclaimed Jesus as the “one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry” (Matthew 3:11). He knew his place in God’s plan for salvation. “I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him… He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28, 30).

He never wavered.

Only at one point in his life, he doubted.

John was (languishing) in prison. He had misgivings and reservations. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come? Are you the Messiah?” If so, why was he left there in prison, why was Jesus not setting him free? Even this great man of God doubted. John’s doubt was not unbelief. It was a request for clarification and affirmation.

Doubt is not unbelief. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. R.C. Sproul pointed the difference between doubt and unbelief. “An all-important difference exists, therefore, between the open-minded uncertainty of doubt and the closed-minded certainty of unbelief.” Doubt is open to God’s guidance and teaching, unbelief on the other hand, has made up its mind against God. Doubt is the path to a stronger and deeper faith, when we turn to God for answers. Doubt helps us to continue to trust God. It forces us to nail down why we believe and what we live for.