Those Stubborn Doubts - Martin Wiles

When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Matthew 28:17 NLT

Some made promises, but I doubted they’d keep them.

No middle schooler wants to be uprooted and moved hundreds of miles from his friends—but that’s what happened when Dad decided to pastor a church in Jackson, Tennessee. Except for the first three months of my life—which I don’t recall—I’d never lived anywhere but South Carolina. All my friends lived there. Now I’d have to leave family and friends behind for an adventure I never asked to go on.

We’ll come to see you. We’ll keep in touch. We’ll write. I heard the promises, but I doubted any of them would come true. And except for my grandmother, they didn’t.

Over the next three years, I made new friends. Then Dad decided to move back to South Carolina. I heard the promises again from our new friends, but I doubted they’d come true. I saw several friends on a couple of occasions after we moved, but the friendships were doomed once we moved.

Some of Jesus’ followers struggled with doubts too. After His resurrection, Jesus instructed them to meet Him in Galilee. When they saw Him, most believed … but some doubted.

Doubt isn’t a fatal sin unless it keeps me from believing in Jesus as my Savior … the one who can forgive my sins and reconcile me with God the Father. Those in this instance who doubted had earlier believed in Jesus as the Messiah and also possessed much biblical knowledge.  

Doubt accompanies our fallen nature. Even when given a new nature by Christ, doubt can linger. We pray for deliverance from a life trial, but doubt God will deliver. We pray for healing from a disease, but doubt God’s ability to heal. We pray for God to bring back a wandering spouse or heal a friendship, but don’t really believe He can.

God understands our doubts—He knows our nature. Although doubt in the form of unbelief keeps us from a relationship with God—and hinders our prayer life—God is a loving heavenly Father who never turns His back on us merely because we struggle with doubts. He wants to transform those doubts into faith so our spiritual fortitude can grow and so we’ll be prepared for this life of faith travel.

Give your doubts to God. What He does with them will amaze you.

Prayer: Father, we give our doubts to You and ask You to form them into faith.

Tweetable: What doubts do you struggle with? 

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