Have you ever had questions about your faith and doubted whether it is genuine? If that has never been your experience, do you sometimes struggle to understand others who doubt? Either way, doubt is an important matter. Should you feel guilty about experiencing doubt, or is it ok? How should you respond to others who doubt?
Question to consider:
Is doubt part of the normal Christian life?
In the video, Jonny suggests we can feel we’re letting people down when we doubt, but doubt is natural, real, and Christianity embraces it. We may not all have big questions about the genuineness of our faith, but we do all doubt. We know this because none of us lives the way God wants 100% of the time, showing us that we doubt whether his ways are always the best for us!
Read Thomas’ encounter with Jesus after the resurrection in John 20:24-29. Take a moment to imagine yourself in Thomas’ shoes. What do you feel as you hear that Jesus has risen? How about when all the other disciples believe, but you cannot? What reaction do you expect from Jesus as you meet him? What does it feel like to have your doubts met with compassion and kindness?
If Jesus does not condemn Thomas for doubting, should we condemn ourselves or others?
Digging Deeper
Doubt is found all over the Bible – in the Psalms, Job and Habakkuk to name a few. Dealing with doubt is always the same – we turn to God for help and to remember his love and mercy towards us. And think about this: Jesus is always praying for us in our weakness! (see Hebrews 7:25)
Why not write down some of the doubts you’re experiencing. Imagine taking them to Jesus. What worries you about speaking openly about your doubts? How would it feel to know that He will accept you and reassure you? We know this is true, because Jesus always looks with compassion upon us. (see Hebrews 4:14-16)
Take a look at this encounter of Jesus with the man whose son was sick in Mark 9:14-29. See Jesus’ tender compassion for the man, and his willingness to help when asked. Why not make this man’s prayer your own – “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!”
Pray about these things and think about whether there is someone you trust who you could share them with. You can email us if you would like to, we’d love to hear from you.
