DOUBTS? I'VE HAD A FEW!

 

November 15, 2024

Mark 9:23-24

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Growing up I believed, what many people believe, that doubt is something that harms one’s faith in God. I thought of doubt as something that should be avoided, faith and doubt just did not go together. The messaging I often heard was that if a follower of Jesus were to find themself doubting God the solution was to simply replace the doubt with faith. So Doubt, in my experience was brushed off with short answers that misunderstood what was really going on. "You shouldn’t doubt." "You can’t question that.” "You know what the Bible says is true."

But it’s not that simple. If you have ever experienced doubt in your faith walk, you know that. What I didn’t realize when I was younger is that almost every believer experiences some kind of doubt at some point in their faith journey. Despite the commonness of doubt in our spiritual walks, we rarely talk about or acknowledge its role in faith development.

Well you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the Bible views doubt in the opposite way from what I had learned growing up. The Bible highlights the doubters. “It seems God has more of a tolerance for doubt than most churches do.” (Jeff Poor) We should not deny or fear our doubt but express it. One definition of theology, which means “words about God,” is that it is “Faith Seeking Understanding.”

Theologian Paul Tillich put it this way, Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light breaks through. In other words, doubt is not the enemy and not something that needs to be fought. It needs to be understood, expressed, and used.

Let’s look at how the Bible highlights the doubters.

• Abraham and Sarah doubted God’s promise of a child; actually they laughed at it. (Genesis 16-18)
• Asaph doubted because the wicked prospered and he doubted the value of serving God. (1 Chronicles 16:4-7, Psalm 73)
• Job doubted God’s goodness. (Job)
• Moses doubted God could use him to lead Israel out of Egypt. (Numbers 11:21-22)
• Gideon doubted God could use him to turn the tide against Israel’s oppressors. (Judges 6-8)
• The Nation of Israel seemed to be in a constant state of doubt.
• Thomas, Jesus’ disciple, doubted Jesus rose from the dead. (John 20:24-29)

I could go on, but the point is the Bible is full of people that doubted. And not just people, but some of the main characters.

Doubt and disbelief are two separate issues. God doesn’t condemn us for asking questions. Jesus didn’t condemn Thomas for wanting to see the holes in his hands. Moses wasn’t reprimanded asking why him. And Abraham and Sarah still received God’s promise despite laughing in doubt.

Let's always remember hat God is interested in our hearts, not some artificial relationship. Sometimes what’s going on inside of us is doubt!! We cannot hide it from God, and that’s not what God wants. We shouldn’t be afraid to bring our doubts to God. God is not wanting to condemn us for our lack of faith. Rather, God wants to restore and strengthen us. I believe that can only happen when we honestly open our hearts to him. Jesus said in our verse, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” I take that to mean that God can use our doubts to produce in us a richer faith.

In Mark, chapter 9, a father approaches Jesus with the desire to see his son healed of an impure spirit. The man says to Jesus, “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us”. Jesus replies, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes”. Jesus can see that the man doubts Jesus’ ability to heal his son. The man then recognizes his doubt and immediately says, “I do believe; help me with my unbelief”.

This man is clearly wrestling with doubts. He has trouble believing that Jesus is really powerful enough to heal his son, but instead of giving up, he asks Jesus for help with his disbelief. Looking at this story, we can take note of how the man handles and confronts his doubt. Just as Tim Keller wrote, “we ought to acknowledge the areas of our faith that are confusing or hard to trust to begin to make our relationship with Jesus our very own.” Notice, the man in Mark 9 didn’t just believe in Jesus because of the faith of those around him, rather, He asked Jesus himself to help with his confusion.

I’ve learned to embrace the doubt in my faith. It makes it richer in a way. My doubts have actually pushed me closer to God. If you are facing doubt in your faith I would encourage you to do the same. Don’t push your doubt aside. Embrace it. Sit with it.

 Turn to God and ask Him to help build your faith and give you a stronger foundation. Let your doubt lead you closer to Jesus.
Amen.