To Question and Doubt • Craig Smith • September 26, 2021
“You of little faith,” He said, “Why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31)
• Doubt can be a sincere
(uncertainty) – “Will the LORD reject forever? Will He never show His favor again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful?” (Psalm 77:7-9a)
• Doubt can be a
of the
(unbelief) – “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…” (Jude 1:22-23a)
Doubt sits between the actual
and personal
– “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.’” (John 20:24-25)
💣 Doubt can
, if not
faith – “…he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:6-8)
God is far less
by my doubt than I am – “A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.” (John 20:26-27a)
While we tend to demand
, God tends to offer
– “Come, follow me…” (Mark 1:17)
The upside to navigating my doubts wisely…
• It will push me to pursue
– “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27b)
• It will deepen my
– “Thomas said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28)
• It will help me stay
– “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand.” (Job 38:2-4)
One of the best weapons against doubt is learning to live with some
…
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (Deut. 29:29)
