Let’s be honest for a second.
We all struggle with doubts at some level.
Maybe your doubts are theological like, (i.e. “Is Jesus Christ really God.")
Maybe you have situational doubts such as, “Can God really heal my friend’s cancer?”
Maybe your doubts are circumstantial, perpetuated by past traumas or present stresses.
Maybe your doubts relate to unrepented personal sin, or
Maybe they’re influenced by external factors like being sinned against.
It doesn’t really matter.
The point remains the same: we all have doubts and we all need the same thing.
Jude, (a short little letter in the back of your Bible), is written to a church where confusion and dissension are plaguing the people. Near the end of the letter, Jude reminds the church of one beautiful truth when he writes,
“And have mercy on those who doubt.” Jude 1:24
HERE IS THE POINT:
When we’re wrestling with doubts the last thing we need is some snooty hyper-religious referee blowing their whistle in our faces, calling us out on our foolishness, and demanding that we just have more faith.
That is entirely unhelpful.
What we need is mercy. We need to be surrounded by people who understand and can sympathize with our questions. We need to be met with love and patience by people who aren’t pretending like they’ve figured everything out but remember what it was like to have similar doubts.
What we need is to be met with people who show the same mercy Jesus showed.
When the “Doubter” receives what they need, namely mercy, they are afforded the freedom to grow in their walk and experience of God. However, it doesn’t stop there because the one who gives mercy is also a recipient.
Jesus promised in Matthew 7,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” -Matthew 7:7
The beauty of mercy is its simultaneous affects! It is what both the Doubter and the Comforter need—more of God’s mercy in their lives. When you show mercy to someone who is doubting you are not simply doing them a favor. In that moment you are actually experiencing the same mercy you are offering. You are both extending and receiving a principle tenant of the Gospel.
Are you in a season of doubt right now?
I pray you understand the mercy of God. I hope you feel the freedom to wrestle and struggle knowing that your experience of God will grow in this moment.
Do you know someone who is in a serious battle with doubt?
Be merciful. Love them as you’ve been loved and enjoy the reciprocal benefits of mercy. We’re all in this together. There is no reason to hide our doubts or act like we can just power through them. Let’s live in the mercy of God and look for ways to help people see and walk with the God who has been infinitely merciful to us.
