How Doubt is a Part of Walking with Jesus
Faith or Doubt
Mankind is about truth and clarity. God is about Faith. Hebrews 11 gives us people God considers heroes of faith. The annals of scripture portray people of faith and people of doubt.
Job’s trial brought him to his knees before God. You know what? God chastised his friends – but not Job. He said to the friends, “You have not spoken to me what is right, but Job has.”
When an automobile begins pinging and knocking, we know something is wrong. Just so, the pinging at our hearts and knocking at our conscience lets us know something is wrong. We need to pay attention. Ignoring the pinging will cause trouble down the road!
Doubting Thomas
After the resurrection of Jesus, the excitement of the disciples was unparalleled. Thomas missed the party because He showed up after Jesus left. It was this moment that gave Thomas the nickname doubting Thomas. Thomas wasn’t there. He missed seeing Jesus and he missed the excitement.
Thomas told his friends, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands and touch the scar in His side, I will not believe.”
Yet in the middle of his doubts, he did some things right. He stayed. Thomas did not leave his friends, the other disciples. He kept seeking truth. Even though he said he did not believe, he keep searching for truth.
Winning the war on doubt
So what are we to do when we have doubts?
- Pray. There is a prayer for doubters. It comes from the heart of a father who asked for healing for his son. Jesus told him that his son could be healed “if you believe”. The father replied, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” This is how we should pray.
- Pursue. We begin pursuit by identifying the doubt. Admit the doubt; acknowledge that is it there. That’s what the father did. He recognized his doubt and then pursued truth. He knew Jesus could help his doubt, so he pursued Jesus. Uncovering the doubt, we move toward finding a resolution. We keep searching for Truth.
- Persist. When it is hard to take the next step, keep moving forward. Remember that Jesus does not call us to a faith without doubts. Scripture tells us that, just before the Great Commission was given, the eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee and met Jesus. They worshiped Jesus, but some doubted. In spite of their doubts, Jesus gave the Great Commission to them. Do you see what Jesus did there?! He knew they had doubts, yet He sent them out with their doubts!
Their doubts became faith. We know this because all of them, except John, died a martyr’s death. A person who lives in doubt does not die for a cause. This is how we know that their doubts became faith.
These disciples prayed. Though doubtful, they pursued their relationship with Jesus. They persisted, and they persevered.
This blog is written from notes taken from a sermon Dave preached at our church. He kindly allowed me to share it here.
