Doubt is not the opposite of faith; often it is faith asking questions. A father once said to Jesus that he believed and needed help with his unbelief, and Jesus did not turn him away. Bring your questions as they are.
A five-minute pause
Read slowly, breathe, and answer one question:
What question do you most want to ask God? Ask it honestly, and stay a while with it.
Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”Mark 9:24 (WEB)
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.John 6:68 (WEB)
Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”John 20:27 (WEB)
Doubt can arrive through suffering that makes no sense, through hard questions about the Bible, through hypocrisy in the church, or simply through a quiet dryness where faith used to be. It can feel frightening, as if one question might pull everything apart. You may hide it from other believers for fear of how they would react.
Scripture makes surprising room for questions. Job argued with God at length, and God answered him rather than dismissing him. John the Baptist, sitting in prison, sent messengers to ask Jesus whether he really was the one they had been waiting for. A desperate father told Jesus he believed and needed help with his unbelief. Thomas refused to believe without seeing the wounds, and Jesus came back and offered him exactly that. Even on the final mountain, some disciples worshiped while others still doubted, and Jesus sent them all out together.
God is not threatened by your questions. He offers his presence while you seek, the witness of others who have walked this road, and the person of Jesus as the place to keep looking. Keep asking, keep reading, and keep company with honest believers. Faith that has wrestled is often deeper for it, and you are not alone in the wrestling.
Write your biggest question as clearly as you can. Then read one Gospel chapter slowly, paying attention to what Jesus actually does. Note one thing that surprised you. Share your question with one believer you trust who will listen without rushing to fix it.
Written for this season
Devotional Journal for New Christians
You believed yesterday. Doubt showed up today. You're ready to walk with it, not be stopped by it.
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