“Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
John 20:27-28 (NCV)
When life gets difficult, sometimes your struggles can leave you full of doubts. You might doubt God’s goodness, his power, or even his love. In times like that, Jesus wants to help you believe. He did that with Thomas after the resurrection.
The Bible says, “Thomas . . . was not with them when Jesus came. The other followers kept telling Thomas, ‘We saw the Lord.’ But Thomas said, ‘I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.’
“A week later the followers were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood right in the middle of them. He said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:24-28 NCV).
I love that story. In the first place, I like Thomas because he’s honest about his doubts. He doesn’t pretend or automatically accept what other people tell him. He wants to check it out for himself.
Many people have the wrong perception of doubt; they think doubt is always negative. But the truth is, doubt is not a bad thing. Doubt is good if it motivates you to investigate. When in doubt, check it out.
The second thing I like about Thomas is that, even though he has doubts, he still hangs out with believers. If you’ve got doubts about God, the Bible, or Jesus, stay in the company of believers—that’s right where you need to be.
The third thing I love about Thomas is that, when he finally sees Jesus and realizes he’s truly alive, he doesn’t let pride get in the way. He immediately says, “My Lord and my God!” He makes his decision about God given the evidence he has.
If you’re having doubts about Jesus, I want to encourage you. First, find people whose lives have been radically changed by a relationship with Jesus. You can’t deny what someone has personally experienced. Second, doubt your doubts. For some reason, we get this backwards. We tend to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs. Doubts are meant to be doubted, and beliefs are meant to be believed.
You can come to Jesus, begin a relationship with him, be certain you’ll go to heaven, and grow in relationship with him—all without having your doubts cleared up first.
One day, a guy came to Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said to him, “Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23 NLT). The man’s answer was honest and authentic: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV). And Jesus healed his son.
Did you know that you can say something similar to Jesus today? “I want to believe. Help me with my doubts!” And he will. He’s waiting to help you believe.
- Do you think God frowns upon you for having doubts or welcomes your questions? Why do you think this way?
- Has there been a time in your life when God helped you believe, even with your doubts?
- How can you encourage people in your life to believe, even in the midst of doubts?
Are you ready to put your faith in Jesus?
If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, why wait any longer? You don’t have to have answers to all of your doubts. You just need enough faith to ask God to help you believe. The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If you’re ready to commit your life to him, then pray this prayer:
“Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.
“I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management.
“I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
