Jesus Will Meet You In Your Doubts

Good morning, Immanuel. When we bring our doubts to Jesus, he doesn't condemn or crush. Neither does he let us stay in our doubts.

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash

If you’ve been a Christian longer than five minutes, you have dealt with doubt–doubts about your relationship with God, doubts about difficult theologies, doubts about God’s word, doubts because of pain or sorrow or suffering. And when we experience doubts, it leaves us feeling lost, fragile, anxious, and even angry. So we should be deeply thankful for the pictures the Bible gives us to show us how Jesus responds when we doubt. 

Think of Thomas in John 20. He declares his doubt; he cannot believe in the resurrection unless He sees the wounds in Jesus’s hands and side. When Jesus next appears, He does two things: first, He shows Thomas the wounds while calling Him to faith, then He corrects Thomas. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). He will not let Thomas stay in unbelief. Jesus does what Thomas needs and calls him to better and greater faith.

Consider Peter. He denied Jesus three times, and after rising from the dead, how did Jesus respond? John 21 tells us that he asks three times, “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter responds that he does, and each time, Jesus commissions Peter to care for the flock of believers. Jesus draws a confession of faith from Peter. In the end, Peter is defined by love for Jesus and belief, not by denial and doubt.

When we bring our doubts to Jesus, He responds the same way for us. He does not condemn or crush. Neither does he let us stay in our doubts. He meets our needs and adjusts our trajectory. When we bring our doubts to Jesus, he speaks welcome, truth into our confusion, and correction that will change who we are and how we believe.