HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 104
page A102
Doubt continued
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 6 :2 | God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation,
I helped you.”
Never doubt God’s desire or ability to help you.
When I’m struggling in my Christian life and have doubts, does it mean I have
less faith?
• PSA L M 9 4 :1 9 | When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
• G E NE S I S 1 5 :8 | But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure?”
• MAT T H E W 1 1 :2 -3 | John the Baptist . . . sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the
Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
Many people in the Bible who we consider to be “pillars of faith” had moments of doubt.
This doesn’t mean they had less faith, but that their faith was being challenged in a new
way. When you have moments of doubt, you are probably in new territory. Allow your
doubt to move you closer to God, not farther away from him. As you move closer to him,
you will find the strength to trust him and your faith will grow even stronger.
What should I do when I find myself doubting God?
• H A B A K K U K 1 :1 7 | Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever
in their heartless conquests? (See note on page 831.)
D
Bring your doubts directly to God in prayer. Be candid and honest as you pour out your
heart to the Lord. Your doubt can draw you closer to him.
• MA R K 9 :2 4 | The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
HelpFinder
Pray that God will give you the confident faith you need.
• DE U T E R O NO MY 7 :1 8 | “Don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God
did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.”
• MA R K 8 :1 7 -1 9 | “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or
understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? ‘You have eyes—can’t you
see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the
5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”
“Twelve,” they said.
When you are struggling with doubt, take time to remember the way God has worked in
the lives of people in Biblical times and has worked in your life and your family’s life. As
you recall God’s “track record,” you will grow confident that he will work in your present
situation as well.
• J O H N 2 0 :2 7 | Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put
your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
When you have doubts, review the evidence. There is a great deal of historical evidence to
verify the accuracy of the Bible’s claims.
• H A B A K K U K 2 :1 | I will climb up to my watchtower. . . . There I will wait to see what the
Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.
Be patient. Let God answer your questions on his schedule, not yours. Don’t throw away
your faith just because God doesn’t resolve your doubt immediately.
• 1 T H E S S A L O NI A NS 5 :11 | So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you
are already doing.
• H E B R E W S 1 0 :2 5 | And let us not neglect our meeting together.
When you are wrestling with doubt, keep attending church and stay close to other Christians.
Resist the temptation to isolate yourself, for that will only serve to weaken your faith more.
Doubt feeds on loneliness.
How can I really believe that the Lord cares for me?
• PSA L M 1 3 9 :1 3 -1 7 | You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together
in my mother’s womb. . . . You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded