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

Some made promises, but I doubted that 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, USA. Except for the first three months of my life — which I don't recall — I'd never lived anywhere but in South Carolina. All my friends lived there. Now, I'd have to leave family and friends behind for an adventure that I'd never asked to go on.

We'll come see you. We'll keep in touch. We'll write. I heard the promises, but I doubted that any of them would come true. 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 my new friends, but I doubted that they'd come true. I saw several friends on a couple of occasions after we moved, but the friendships were doomed once we'd 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 Saviour — the One Who can forgive my sins and reconcile me with God the Father. In this instance, those who doubted had earlier believed in Jesus as the Messiah and possessed much biblical knowledge.

Doubt accompanies our fallen nature. Even when we are given a new nature by Christ, doubt can linger. We pray for deliverance from a life trial, but we doubt that God will deliver. We pray for healing from a disease, but we doubt God's ability to heal. We pray for God to bring back a wandering spouse or to heal a friendship, but we don't really believe that 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 prayers, 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 that our spiritual fortitude can grow and so that 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 we ask You to form them into faith. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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