Forty Days Without FearSample

OVERCOMING FEAR OF DOUBT 

Sometimes, we can believe the lie that ‘Christians should never doubt’ or have any questions about our faith; that if we have any doubts about God, we need to get rid of them immediately, and never speak of them again! 

But there is room to doubt, and explore questions of faith, in exchange for a deeper understanding of God. Jacob a prime figure in the Bible was given the name ‘Israel,’ which can be translated as ‘one who wrestles with God.’ Wrestling with our faith at times is part of living out our lives with God. 

Our verses today show Peter, upon whose revelation Jesus said He’d ‘build His church’, throwing his Saviour to the wolves; publicly denying he knew Him. Jesus had predicted this would happen and had prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail [Luke 22:32]. Following his denial, Peter ran to the hills with his faithfulness to God in tatters. Peter’s wrestling with faith was real, and evident for all to see.

Jesus, undeterred by Peter’s actions, later reinstated Peter as the leader of His future community. Three times He re-commissioned Peter, one for every denial. Peter’s momentary doubt did not disqualify him in Jesus’ eyes. So, we can take hope in the knowledge that our doubts, questions, and wrestling doesn’t discredit who God has called us to be, nor change our identity in God’s eyes. Our search for truth is a pathway to the heart of God, and we can gain a deeper understanding of the Creator of All Things.

Action: We don’t need to wrestle alone! Let’s invite the Holy Spirit into the wrestling ring with us.  Let’s ask our questions today, scratch beneath the surface of our faith and grow in our knowledge of Him. What does He want us to know?