Doubt is common. We all experience it to one degree or another at one time or another.
Nothing is accomplished by pretending we don’t have questions. We must be honest with ourselves…each other…with God. We must trust God to see us through the difficult moments.
Like a loving father, God patiently listens and gives us space to question and grow (cf. Psalm 6:2-3; 13:1-2). God loves us, so He listens to us and offers us a safe place to which we can return (cf. Luke 15:20).
Yet, we cannot remain in doubt and let it develop to the point that we walk away from the Lord (James 1:5-8). Doubt is powerful and if left unchecked can lead us to places we do not want to go.
We need to answer the question that Jesus asked Peter in Matthew 14:31: “Why did you doubt?”
One cause of doubt is guilt.
A major roadblock to thriving, powerful faith is the inability to see past our sin. We struggle to believe we could be forgiven for the times that we strayed from the Lord. We compare God’s power and beauty with our own weakness and ugliness and we doubt we could be loved in such a way as described in Scripture. We carry guilt that threatens to crush us.
However, if we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, our sins have been removed! If God says our sins have been forgiven, then our sins have been forgiven! We must trust Him. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)
Another cause of doubt is suffering.
Few things cause us to question God’s love and God’s plan for us like suffering does.
We should be familiar with the story of the father and his sick son from Mark 9. This father had suffered for years as he watched his son be tormented by an evil spirit. Evidently (and understandably), he had reached a breaking point of sorts. He was desperate. He is the one who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Additionally, there are times when we have questions. Our intellectual and emotional questions can lead to doubts thus requiring well-reasoned responses and credible evidence. Often, we just don’t have the proper expectations of God…we doubt because we have the wrong idea about who He is and what His plan really is.
We must keep seeking (Matt. 7:7-8; Heb. 11:6). Don’t give up! He is there! Hold on and press on.
We must trust the evidence (Matt. 11:4-6). The proof is clear. There is no excuse for denying God’s existence (Rom. 1:20). The Bible is the Word of God. Whatever the Bible teaches, we know it is true!
Finally, we must always look for the good. Something righteous, helpful, positive, restorative, informative, strengthening, or revitalizing is there to be experienced. Our struggle may well lead to strength.
