{"id":14691,"date":"2018-04-14T07:53:19","date_gmt":"2018-04-14T11:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.discover-grace.flywheelsites.com\/?p=14691"},"modified":"2018-04-14T07:53:19","modified_gmt":"2018-04-14T11:53:19","slug":"facing-your-doubts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/facing-your-doubts\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Your Doubts."},"content":{"rendered":"

I have missed some exciting\u00a0<\/span>moments in my life.\u00a0<\/span>
\nI have missed opportunities to have some fun adventures, meet interesting people, and even see John Stamos (Uncle Jesse himself!) \u2014 all because I wasn\u2019t in the right place at the right time. But all of my missed connections pale in comparison to what the disciple Thomas missed in John 20.
\nIn verse 19, Jesus appeared to all of the disciples for the first time after his resurrection. Well, to almost<\/i> all of the disciples; poor Thomas wasn\u2019t there. So in verse 25, they fill him in with the exclamation \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the Lord!\u201d
\nThomas\u2019 response to this great news was disbelief.\u00a0<\/span>
\nHe told them, \u201cIf I don\u2019t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.\u201d Because of that response, Thomas\u2019 name has become synonymous with doubt. His name is now a synonym for skeptical people:\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cDoubting Thomas.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\nWith the crystal-clear vision of hindsight, we look at Thomas\u2019 response and wag our finger at him. We turn our nose up at his doubt. We think \u201cHow could he not believe them? How could Thomas not believe that Jesus was alive? After all, Jesus had told them this would happen! How could Thomas have doubted Jesus\u2019 own words?\u201d
\nLet me be very transparent. As I look at this resurrection story, I identify most with Thomas.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhen I ask Thomas, \u201cHow could you have doubted that Jesus was alive? Don\u2019t you believe Jesus told you the truth?\u201d, those questions boomerang right back into my own heart and begin to press into my own doubts.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cWhen you got that medical bill, how could you have doubted Jesus\u2019 power and promise to provide? When you were stressed out at work and needed a solution, why did you doubt the infinite creative power of a God who makes something out of nothing?\u201d
\nI am not above Thomas. I am<\/i> Thomas.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhile we live in a broken world, with broken hearts, minds, and affections. We are all vulnerable to doubt from time to time. Doubt often strikes without warning, creeping into our minds and out of our mouths \u2014 just like it struck Thomas. I don\u2019t agree with people who say that \u201cdoubt is a choice.\u201d I never intend to doubt; doubt just shows up.
\nSince we see in the story of Thomas that doubt is something even those closest to Jesus can experience, we must answer this question: What should we do when we doubt? There are two steps.
\n1. Choose faith.<\/b>
\nWhile I don\u2019t believe doubt is a choice, I do believe that we choose what to do with this unwelcome visitor.
\nWe can choose to let doubt walk us away from the Father by choosing to follow the impulse that our deepest joy and trust is found elsewhere. \u00a0<\/span>
\nOr, we can choose faith and walk our doubt to the Father. And when we do, Hebrews 4:16 tells us we will find \u201cmercy and find grace to help us in time of need.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\nAfter all, this was Jesus\u2019 loving response Thomas in John 20:27, \u2018Then he said to Thomas, \u201cPut your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don\u2019t be faithless, but believe.\u201d\u2019
\nJesus patiently met Thomas in his doubt and instructed him to believe.
\nJesus\u2019 response leads me to ask the question: Why is Jesus so patient with our doubt?
\nThe answer is that we are his children (1 John 3:1). His patience is not just a reflection of his perfect character, but also of his perfect paternal love for us.\u00a0<\/span>
\nEven when my own children disappoint or frustrate me, there is a patience and understanding that I extend to them that I don\u2019t extend to others simply because they are my children, and I love them dearly. If I love my children that way, how much more does our Heavenly Father love us and extend perfect patience toward us? (Matthew 7:11)
\nOur kind and patient Father, full of love toward us is waiting with mercy and grace to help in our time of need.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSo choose faith and run to the Father!\u00a0<\/span>
\nRun to where you already know He has met with you before.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRun to His Church.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRun to His Word and let it invade your heart\u2019s affection and capture your mind\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRun to Him in prayer and let the tenderness of his presence bring you comfort and peace.\u00a0<\/span>
\n2. Ask for more faith.<\/b>
\nIn Mark 9, a desperate father looking for healing for his son brings Jesus a doubt-laden request: \u201cBut if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\nJesus\u2019 response pointed this man to faith. \u201c ‘If you can?’ ” He says. “Everything is possible for the one who believes.\u201d The father\u2019s response is one I believe we need to emulate in moments of doubt. He says, \u201cI do believe; help my unbelief!\u201d
\nThe father asks Jesus for help with his doubt! And what happens next? Jesus healed his son. The father requested faith to help eradicate his doubt, and Jesus gave it to him through the healing of his son.
\nI wonder how many times our Father is holding faith-bolstering confidence in his hand for us and, unlike this father, we have just not asked for it. Jesus said in Matthew 7:8 \u201cEveryone who asks receives.\u201d Let\u2019s start asking.
\nBe honest about your doubt, and ask the Father to help you.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAsk Him for the faith to not doubt his care when you are suffering.
\nAsk Him for the faith to trust his strength when you are scared.
\nAsk Him for the faith to not doubt His plans when the days are darkest.
\nThomas doubted, and Jesus loved him through it.\u00a0<\/span>
\nYou may be doubting, but Jesus will love you through it too.<\/p>\n

\n

This article was written by\u00a0Pastor Grant Nixon of Grace Winter Garden and appeared in the <\/i>Spring 2018<\/i><\/a> <\/i>edition of Grace Magazine.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have missed some exciting\u00a0moments in my life.\u00a0 I have missed opportunities to have some fun adventures, meet interesting people, and even see John Stamos (Uncle Jesse himself!) \u2014 all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":14692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[32],"post_folder":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-life","8":"tag-winter-garden"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFacing Your Doubts. - Grace Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/facing-your-doubts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Facing Your Doubts. - 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