Dealing With DoubtНамуна

Prayer: Father, thank you for being bigger than my doubt. Thank you for not running away from my questions. I know that you do not fear what I fear. Today, show me the specific areas of my doubt so that I can address it and invite you into the process of working it out. I trust that you will bring me a mature and enduring faith. Amen.

What is doubt?    

Does God really love me? Is he really good? Does God really exist? These can be intense and scary questions to wrestle with. As followers of Jesus, we often doubt our salvation, our purpose, God’s love, God’s character, God’s existence, the reliability of the Bible… the list goes on. If you have ever struggled with questions like these, you are not alone! It is not uncommon for Christians to doubt and be challenged by these hard questions. You are not less of a Christian because of your doubt, either. Whether you or a friend is struggling with doubt, know that it’s okay. God actually wants those who doubt to be shown mercy by other believers.

So what is doubt? In the Bible, the word doubt is best described as “being of two minds” or “in between.” James 1:6 says that the doubting man is one who wavers, being tossed back and forth like the waves in the sea, between two beliefs: God is good, God is not good. Even so, there still is a level of faith in the one who doubts. In fact, our doubt falls somewhere on the spectrum between our current faith and perfect faith. But doubt is not unbelief. Many times, doubt is actually a sign that your faith is maturing. If you get to a point in your life where you can face some of the toughest questions and come out the other side with a deeper faith, that is certainly proof that you are growing as a believer! 

Look in the Word:  

1. The believers that James wrote to were experiencing testing in their faith that he hoped would lead to a mature and enduring faith. Have you viewed your doubt in light of a hope for mature and enduring faith? What might happen if you do?   
2. How do you feel knowing that God wants those who doubt to experience mercy? In your doubts, have you shown mercy to yourself? 

What’s next?   

1. Make a list of your doubts. What exactly are you doubting is true? Can you identify the biggest questions that you have?   
2. Talk with God about that list of doubts. Be honest with yourself and with Him.