Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31
A doubt is often a trigger for the search for deeper faith. Doubts won't just go away. They'll continue to lurk in the shadows of your mind. When we honestly face our doubts, many times they're not so terrible. When examined in the light of day, they turn out to be only harmless shadows.
What to Do With Your Doubts
- Admit them - There are lots of causes for doubt. Improper concept of God and His work is one thing that can cause doubt. Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand who God was or what He was doing. God was doing what He had intended. They just did not understand Him. We often have the same problem. Personal failure can be a cause for doubt. An attitude such as “I would never…” or “That only happens to other people…” Job loss, divorce, cancer, death of a loved one or other personal tragedy – “Did not think God would do that to me” can bring on doubt. National or Global Tragedy such as the Covid19 Pandemic – “A good God would not do that.” All these things can cause us to doubt and feel like God has abandoned us.
- Examine them - Unexamined truth does not bring security or power. Don’t panic - Seek answers from scripture. Christianity is making some remarkable claims when you think about them. Jesus’ friends claim he came back to life after being truly dead. He will come again to wrap up history. Don’t let fear that your doubts may be true keep you from discovering the evidence you need to confirm and feel secure in your faith.
- Discuss them - Go to the right people and the right sources. Jesus went to God’s Word. Doubts are most often NOT caused by a lack of faith as much as a lack of understanding. Don’t hang around wrong people. We fear talking to the family of faith about our doubts, so we turn to the world for our confirmation. Talk to the right people
- Suspend them - If, after all your efforts, nagging doubts remain, put them into a little compartment at the back of your head labeled “To be investigated later.” If you're honest, you won't be bogged down in what you can't believe but will act on what you can believe. Realize that you can manage doubt. If you wait until you are 100% certain, you will never act.
- Resolve them - Don't succumb to the "paralysis of analysis." Accept the truth and move on. Accept the answer when it comes. Open your mind to God's revelation. Realize an improper base will not sustain a structure of truth. When God enlarges your faith to cover your doubts, you will have a BIGGER God. You may also have a larger ministry. Believe and get to work. Do something!
As humans, we do not understand God. His ways are not our ways. But we can find the answer for our doubts in trusting Him. We can focus on what we know. We may not be able to understand everything He does or allows, but what do we know to be true about God? We know He is in control and when we acknowledge that and accept Him as the Omnipotent God that He is, we can find peace and rest in Him, laying our doubts down at His feet. Remember what He has done. Remember what you know. Remember what is true.
And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. Luke 24:38-40
