5 Crucial Things About Doubt
Doubt. When I say the word, what thoughts immediately come to your mind?
For some, the reality of doubt hurts you. It is a legitimate struggle, and this struggle leaves you on an island.
For others, doubt is non-existent in their faith. They have always had a trust and faith in Jesus with little to no doubts.
Today, I want to speak to all sides. Doubting God can be healthy. It can be necessary. And at the same time, unresolved doubt can also be very unhealthy and detrimental.
So, if you are someone wrestling with doubt, here are 5 important things to understand about doubt.
1. Doubt is not the absence of faith.
This is a lie people are going to tell you. It is also a lie Satan is going to make you believe. Actually, the opposite is true. The fact you doubt means faith is present in your life. Think about it.
The reason you struggle with that doubt is because of your underlying faith in the goodness of God. You believe that God is working in all things for the good. Yet, you look at the world, and you see brokenness, wounds, flaws and chaos.
So, the reason you're doubting is because you have that deeper faith.
If you didn't have faith, you would just look at the ugliness in the world and get on with your life.
It's only because you do care that doubt has a place to grow.
You see, strong faith is not the absence of doubt, it's what happens when we wrestle with our doubts.
2. God can handle doubts.
This is something the Christian community has handled poorly. Our mission has been to defend God. To stand up for God. But God doesn’t need anybody to defend Him. He is a big boy. He can handle some doubt and criticism.
God is not like us.
Can you imagine how depressed and anxious God would be if he freaked out like us? Good thing he doesn’t.
Buried inside the gospel of Mark is a story about a man whose son is possessed by a demon. What is interesting about this story is the way Jesus frames the conversation with the boy’s father. In Mark 9:23 Jesus says, “all things are possible for him who believes.”
How does the father respond? “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
And Jesus doesn’t rebuke the man’s unbelief. What does he do? He heals the boy.
In this story, Jesus affirms doubt doesn’t reveal an absence of faith and shows us that God isn’t in the heavenly realms shaking his head every time we have questions about his power or nature.
3. Don’t try to expedite a season of doubt.
One of the greatest man-made inventions is the microwave. How else would you get to enjoy a bag of popcorn in 2 minutes or a Hot Pocket in a minute and a half? Right next to the microwave, I would put the air fryer… hot bacon in 7-8 minutes. Enough said.
But this is what we try to do with everything in life. We microwave it. Especially those difficult seasons.
But some things can’t be microwaved. A season of doubt is one of those.
I understand the struggle is real. But don’t expedite the process by suppressing your thoughts, walking away from God, or finding a quick answer to a deep problem. Endure. Persevere. Struggle. But don’t microwave.
Hot Pockets can be microwaved. God can’t.
4. Don’t stay in doubt.
While certainly, you can’t rush through a season of doubt, you don’t want to build a house and stay there either.
Some doubt is healthy, but there is an unhealthy side of doubt. Even though doubt is everywhere in the Bible, doubt is never applauded or celebrated by God.
While sometimes doubt is a necessary and normal part of life, doubting God is not a destination for us to arrive. It is a season for us to endure and learn.
5. Knowledge does not eliminate doubt.
Sure, apologetics are good. Physical evidence for God is helpful. But finding a solution to the deep questions in your heart does not come through an increase in knowledge.
Trusting and believing in God involves faith. And while you should have an informed faith, it will always be faith. You can acquire knowledge from around the world but you will never acquire enough knowledge to fully understand our God.
Look for the answers to the deep questions. God has nothing to hide. But don’t seek those answers apart from faith. You won’t find them.
Don’t ground your faith in something other than God. Knowledge is good. It is not ultimate. If you put your faith in something other than Jesus, you will never find the answers you are seeking.
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