When Doubt Creeps In

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A young man, raised by missionaries in China, suddenly

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isn't sure any of it is true. Os Guinness grew up surrounded by

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faith. His parents served God in one of the hardest places on

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earth. But as he became an adult, deep intellectual doubts crept

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in. Was Christianity real, or just something he'd inherited?

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Was he believing because he'd examined the evidence, or simply

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because it's what his family did? Instead of burying those

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questions, he pursued them honestly, studying philosophy

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and facing the toughest critiques of faith head on. a

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world that often says, good Christians don't doubt, why

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would someone raised in ministry risk everything by pulling at

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the threads of his own belief?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger. I've

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been a pastor for over 40 years, and even I struggle with

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something many of us have experienced, but few of us feel

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free to admit. Doubt. Mark 9, 19-24 tells the story of a

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desperate father who brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus.

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Listen to what happens. Jesus said to them, you faithless

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people, how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with

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you? Bring the boy to me. So they brought the boy. But when

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the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent

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convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming in

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the mouth. How long has this been happening? Jesus asked the

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boy's father. He replied, since he was a little boy, the spirit

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often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to

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kill him. Have mercy on us and help us if you can. What do you

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mean, if I can? Jesus asked. Anything is possible for a

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person who believes. The father instantly cried out, I do

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believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. That last line is one

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of the most honest prayers in all of Scripture. I do believe,

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but help me overcome my unbelief. This father wasn't pretending.

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He'd had faith enough to bring his son to Jesus, but he also

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had doubt. He said, help us if you can. And when Jesus

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challenged that, he didn't fake certainty. He admitted where he

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really was. Lord, I believe, but there's kind of some unbelief

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mixed in. Help me. And what did Jesus do? He didn't turn him

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away. And he didn't rebuke him for being honest. What he did

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was, he healed the boy. I believe that's good news for

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anyone who's ever felt their faith wobble a bit. You don't

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have to have perfect faith to come to Jesus. You just have to

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bring whatever faith you have and be honest about the rest.

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Doubt isn't always the opposite of faith. Sometimes, doubt is

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simply faith being stretched. You're asking hard questions

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because you want to know if what you believe is actually true.

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That kind of doubt brought to God instead of buried can become

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a doorway to deeper trust. I've heard parents tell their

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children. I've heard parents tell their children not to

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question their faith. Just believe. Or tell them, you

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shouldn't say stuff like that if they question anything about

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their faith. I believe that's the opposite of what they should

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be telling their children. Instead, they should be thankful

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their children are admitting they have questions or doubts.

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doubt tends to grow into cynicism or unbelief. But doubt

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that's brought into the light and laid before Jesus and

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wrestled with honestly? That kind of doubt can actually lead

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to stronger, more personal faith. Maybe you've had seasons where

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you've wondered, Is God really there? Does prayer actually do

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anything? Why does this teaching feel so hard to accept? Why do

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bad things happen if God is so good? See, those questions

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aren't signs that you've failed as a Christian. They're signs

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that you're human and that your faith is worth examining. In his

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book, God in the Dark, Oz Guinness writes that doubt

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handled honestly can actually strengthen faith, while doubt

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buried tends to fester. He found that when he brought his real

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questions to God and to Scripture, not looking for an

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excuse to leave, but genuinely seeking truth, Jesus met him

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there. Not with easy answers, but with deeper trust and

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relationship. Honest doubt brought into the light becomes

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an invitation for him to meet you exactly where you are. Maybe

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that's where you are today. You love God, but you have questions.

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You want to believe, but parts of your faith feel kind of shaky.

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You're not sure if it's okay to voice what you're really

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thinking. Here's what I want you to know. Jesus can handle your

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questions. He's not intimidated by your doubts, and he doesn't

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love you less when your faith wavers. He invites you to come

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to him just as you are and pray the same prayer that desperate

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father prayed. Lord, I do believe, but help me to overcome

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my unbelief. Here's today's challenge. If there's a question

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or a doubt you've been carrying in silence, bring it to God

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today. You don't have to have it all figured out. Just be honest.

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You might pray something like, Lord, I'm struggling with this.

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I want to trust you, but I have questions. Meet me here. Help my

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unbelief. And if it helps, find one trusted person. It could be

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a pastor, a mentor, or a mature friend, and share what you've

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been wrestling with. Doubt exposed to light and community

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often loses its power. Lord, thank you that you don't turn

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away from honest doubt. Thank you for that father in Mark 9

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who showed us it's okay to say, I believe, but help my unbelief.

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For anyone listening who's struggling with questions about

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faith, meet them right where they are and strengthen what's

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weak. Answer what needs answering and draw them closer

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to you through the wrestling. In Jesus' name, amen. If this

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episode encouraged you, would you share it with someone who

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might be quietly wrestling with doubt? Just send them the link

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from the show notes. They may need to hear that it's okay to

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bring their questions to Jesus. Thanks for joining me today on

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Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, honest doubt brought

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to Jesus isn't the opposite of faith. It's an invitation for

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Him to meet you where you are. Come back next time for more

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encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until

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then, God bless and have a great day.