When In DoubtSýnishorn

Seeking Answers

Samuel Coleridge said, “Never be afraid of doubt… if you have the disposition to believe.” Selwyn Hughes remarked, “Doubts can be valuable if they motivate us to search deep and long for answers.” Do you have doubts about God, Jesus, or your faith? Welcome to the club. You are in good company along with Thomas and John the Baptist, as we have seen. They used their doubts to find answers and subsequently strengthen their faith to become stronger at this place of brokenness. In this devotion we will look at two final instances in which doubt can turn from brokenness to strength. 

In the Book of Acts, Paul and Silas have come to Berea and head to the synagogue to teach the Jews. The Scriptures describe the Berean Jews this way. They are fair-minded, they receive the Word with readiness, and they search the Scriptures daily to find the truth. These are seekers who have the right perspective on doubt. They are doubters who seek the truth, who receive the truth with readiness to believe. They search the Scriptures—the place where truth is found, and they reach the conclusion.  These are the things of truth. The Scriptures then give us the result or the reward for this seeking: many believed. The grace of God pours over those who seek answers to their doubts with this attitude of a readiness to believe.

For this final look at doubt we return to James where he states that we should ask in faith without doubting because "he who doubts will not receive anything from the Lord". Notice the attitude of asking—in faith—trusting God to give the answer and desiring to believe. The little word doubt here literally translates to the phrase “to debate.” Dr. Dave Anderson says, “If you are going to turn to God for wisdom then stop your own inner raging. It’s the man who is debating his options vociferously within himself who is told not to expect anything. It doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about the trial completely. It means we should put to rest the furious debate that goes on in our hearts.” 

Doubts will attack us, but that does not mean that we are to allow them to master us. Those who doubt most and yet strive for answers to doubts turn out to be some of Christ’s strongest disciples.   

For more Strong at the Broken Places resources – podcasts and a downloadable Study Guide – visit gsot.edu/strong. The Grace Center for Spiritual Development at Grace School of Theology provides non-degree studies, live online bible study opportunities, and resources like this devotional.