Dealing With Doubt And Uncertainty

Devotional

Day 1: Blessed are those who believe without seeing.

You may recognize Thomas in this story because he voices the honest demand for proof. Jesus meets the doubt directly, invites inspection, and then honors those who believe without the visible evidence. That invitation means you can bring your questions to Jesus and still be blessed for trusting him before you see the outcome. [25:34]

John 20:24-29 (ESV)
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Reflection: What is one specific fear or need you have been demanding proof for, and will you name it aloud in prayer this week and ask Jesus to meet you in that doubt?

Day 2: Faith trusts unseen realities over present sight.

Faith is the bridge between what is hoped for and what is not yet seen, holding conviction when the visible evidence is lacking. In the tension between belief and sight, practicing trust does not ignore facts but chooses to rest in God's faithfulness despite them. Let this definition steady you when the meter of "God can provide" dips and you feel uncertain. [21:18]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Reflection: Identify one hope you are holding where you currently see no evidence — what concrete act of faith (a prayer, a generous step, a reconciling conversation, or a worship commitment) will you take this week to live as if the unseen is already true?

Day 3: Show mercy to those whose faith wavers.

When someone’s faith is flickering, the call is not to shame or debate but to come alongside with compassion and patience. Mercy creates a space where honest questions are welcome and where spiritual recovery can begin, reflecting the heart of God toward the doubter. Consider how your presence, not your argument, may be the doorway God uses to restore another’s faith. [35:29]

Jude 1:22 (ESV)
And have mercy on those who doubt;

Reflection: Who in your life is currently wavering in faith, and what one merciful step (a phone call, bringing a meal, inviting them to worship, or praying with them) will you take this week to come alongside without correcting or shaming?

Day 4: God is near to the brokenhearted.

The Scriptures promise that when faith feels crushed and God seems distant, the Lord draws close to those very hearts. This nearness is not abstract — it is a present comfort for those who feel abandoned, offering rescue even when hope is faint. Let that truth be your refuge when sorrow and doubt press in. [32:02]

Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Reflection: When have you most recently felt God distant and crushed in spirit, and what is one immediate step you can take this week (call a mature believer, read a Psalm aloud, or bring the ache to God in honest prayer) to receive His nearness?

Day 5: Keep asking, seeking, and never give up.

Perseverance in prayer is the posture God honors — even when the answer seems delayed, continued asking, seeking, and knocking keeps you engaged with God's promise. Wrestling with God in prayer, scripture, and community is not a refusal to let go but an insistence on holding fast to belief. Decide to stay in the fight, practice faithful rhythms, and trust that provision may be closer than it appears. [34:04]

Matthew 7:7 (ESV)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Reflection: What persistent need or prayer will you continue to ask, seek, and knock about this week, and what specific daily practice (a set prayer time, a scripture passage to read, or a trusted friend to meet with) will you commit to in order to "wrestle" and not give up?

Sermon Summary

I began by celebrating God’s tangible provision through our Kingdom Builder Miracle Offering—how we brought a bold need to the Lord, wrestled with uncertainty, and watched him exceed it. That moment set the stage for a new three-week journey, You Asked For It, starting with the question many of you requested: how to deal with doubt and uncertainty. I framed doubt around two “meters”: first, “God is real,” and second, “God can provide.” Until the first is settled, the second will always be unstable. But even when we are secure in God’s existence, the “Can God provide?” meter naturally rises and falls as we face real-life pressures.

Hebrews 11 describes faith as the bridge between what we believe about God and what we can’t yet see. Doubt lives in that tension. Yet doubt isn’t the opposite of faith—unbelief is. Scripture is honest about this struggle. Thomas needed to see the wounds to believe, and the Psalms echo our cries: “How long?” “Do you hear me?” “Have you abandoned me?” God allowed those prayers to remain in Scripture to give us language for our own wrestling and to show us his response.

And God’s response to doubters is not dismissal but gentleness. He is near to the brokenhearted, he doesn’t snuff out a flickering wick, and he invites perseverance: ask, seek, knock. He instructs us to show mercy to those whose faith is wavering—because that’s how he treats us. So how do we move through doubt? I gave five practices: remind yourself who God is; remember what God has done; share your struggle with mature believers; keep practicing faith by staying engaged in Scripture, worship, and community; and give yourself grace. Finally, I urged us not to stiff-arm God but to wrestle with him. Wrestling is a form of faith: it says, “You are here, and I’m not letting go.” In that grip, our “God is real” meter stays strong, and our “God can provide” meter rises again.

Key Takeaways

1. Fill the ‘God is real’ meter. Until the reality of God’s existence is settled, confidence in his provision will constantly wobble. Aim to anchor your soul here: God created, God rules, God is near. Once that foundation is firm, you have someplace solid to stand when life shakes the rest. [19:48]
2. Doubt is tension, not unbelief. Doubt sits in the gap between conviction and visibility; it questions timing and means, not God’s throne. Unbelief removes God from the equation altogether. Naming the difference keeps you from condemning yourself and helps you fight the right battle. [22:19]
3. God is gentle with doubters. The nearness of God to the crushed and the way he protects a flickering wick reveal his posture: mercy, not contempt. He sustains fragile hearts rather than snuffing them out. Let his gentleness invite you to keep coming near, even when you feel weak. [33:21]
4. Keep asking, seeking, and knocking. Perseverance in prayer is not noise; it’s trust with a heartbeat. Continuing to come to God forms you while you wait, aligning your desires and opening your eyes to the provision that is often nearer than you think. Don’t quit one step before the door opens. [34:04]
5. Wrestle with God, not distance. Grabbing hold of God—in prayer, Scripture, community, and worship—is an act of faith that refuses apathy. Wrestling says, “I believe you’re here, and I’m not letting go until you bless me.” Distance hardens the heart; wrestling keeps it alive and responsive. [42:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:32] - Celebration and campus welcome
[14:11] - Kingdom Builder offering update
[16:28] - Series kickoff: You Asked For It
[17:48] - Two faith meters explained
[20:52] - Faith is the bridge
[22:19] - Doubt isn’t opposite of faith
[25:34] - Thomas: from doubt to devotion
[31:37] - God’s heart for doubters
[33:49] - Keep asking, seeking, knocking
[35:29] - Show mercy to the wavering
[37:04] - Five practices when you doubt
[39:30] - Stay engaged; avoid unbelief
[41:31] - Wrestle with God, don’t withdraw
[45:11] - Closing prayer of trust

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Discussion Guide — Doubt and Uncertainty

Bible reading
- Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Observation questions

Read Hebrews 11:1. How does this definition describe the relationship between what someone believes and what they can see?
The teaching used two “meters” to talk about faith: “God is real” and “God can provide.” How did the speaker describe the way those two meters interact? [17:48]
In John 20:24–29 (the Thomas story), what changed for Thomas when he encountered the risen Jesus, and what promise did Jesus give about those who believe without seeing? [25:34]
Which images from the Psalms and the Gospels were used to describe God’s posture toward doubters (for example, nearness to the brokenhearted; not crushing a weak reed or putting out a flickering wick)? What do those images communicate about God’s response to doubt? [32:02]

Interpretation questions

Hebrews 11:1 calls faith “assurance” and “conviction.” How does defining doubt as the tension between conviction and visibility help explain the difference between doubt and unbelief? [20:52]
The claim was made that the “God is real” meter must be filled before confidence in God’s provision becomes stable. What consequences follow if someone’s view of God’s existence weakens? How might that affect their spiritual life and choices? [19:48]
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing.” How should that statement shape a believer’s expectation for certainty, proof, and spiritual peace in seasons of waiting? [27:27]
Jude 22 instructs believers to “show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.” What tensions arise when trying to balance truth-telling and compassionate care for someone who is doubting? How should a community approach that balance? [35:29]

Application questions

“Remind yourself what you do know about God.” ([37:04]) Name three biblically grounded truths about God you can claim the next time doubt hits. When will you say them aloud this week?
“Remind yourself what God has done in your life.” ([38:25]) Identify two past moments of God’s faithfulness you can record (journal, voice memo, or tell someone) and plan when you will revisit that record during a hard day.
“Share your struggle with mature believers.” ([39:12]) Who are two mature believers you trust? Which one will you contact in the next seven days to share your struggle and ask for prayer or counsel?
“Keep asking, seeking, and knocking.” ([34:04]) What specific spiritual practices will you commit to for the coming week (for example: set a time for Scripture, attend worship, join a prayer group)? Be concrete: when and for how long?
“Give yourself grace.” ([40:32]) When doubt leads to guilt or shame, what compassionate truth will you speak to yourself? Write that sentence now and practice saying it aloud once a day this week.
“Wrestle with God — grab a hold of him.” ([42:28]) What will “wrestling with God” look like for you personally (lament journal, honest prayer, singing, fasting)? Choose one wrestling practice and commit to doing it at least three times this week.
“Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.” ([35:29]) Who in your circle seems fragile in faith right now? Name one practical thing you will do this week to show mercy (listen without fixing, bring a meal, pray with them, invite them to community).

Notes for the group leader
- Start with the Bible reading and then let everyone answer one observation question aloud before moving to interpretation and application.
- Encourage short personal answers on application questions and concrete plans for the coming week.
- Remind the group to practice mercy and confidentiality when someone shares vulnerable doubts.

Sermon Clips

``super clear.Just because you're doubting that God can provide doesn't mean that you're lacking all faith.Because, look, to lack faith means that you don't believe.So doubt isn't the opposite of faith.Unbelief is the opposite of faith.You could go up and down in this meter without losing complete faith.And it happens to all of us all the time. [00:22:12] (26 seconds) #DoubtNotDisbelief

And I remember one day when I stood out on a parking lot in Bellevue, Nebraska, and I pointed my finger up to heaven over 30 years ago, I had an unbelief moment where I actually pointed my finger up to heaven and said, God, you don't exist.Therefore, it doesn't matter in life what I do.I'm going to live my life the way I want to.That was a unbelief moment.That was a dethroned God, God's not real, brought him down to zero, which meant that there's nothing God can do to provide.That came down to zero.And now I'm left to my own demise. [00:23:34] (32 seconds) #UnbeliefDethronesGod

This is what I love about God, guys.God doesn't tell you to come to him when you have all the answers and everything figured out.God wants you to come to him with all of your questions and with all of your doubt.This is the God we serve.Now, this message today is very heavy when it comes to amount of scripture, right?So you might need to go back and rewatch it to get all the scripture.I understand that.But there's one more thing about God's heart towards the doubter that just blows my mind away. [00:34:41] (27 seconds) #BringYourDoubtToGod

God's instruction is that when you have someone in your family whose faith is wavering, what does God's word say for you to do?Show mercy towards them.You have a friend whose faith is wavering.What does God say to do?Show mercy towards them.If God says to you and me, show mercy towards those who waver in their faith, how much more does God show mercy to those who waver in their faith? [00:35:40] (24 seconds) #ShowMercyToDoubters

You might be doubting that God can provide, but if you disengage from other believers and God's word and worship on the weekend, here's what happens.Doubt turns into unbelief.And unbelief starts attacking that God is real.And when God is real, when that meter starts to drop, my friends, you are in big trouble.I don't want to see that happen for you. [00:39:44] (20 seconds) #StayEngagedInFaith

Let me tell you, when you're going through doubt, one of the best moves you can make is to wrestle with God.Yep, grab a hold of God.Grab a hold of his word.Grab a hold of other believers.Grab a hold of weekend worship.Grab a hold of God and wrestle with God.See, here's what wrestling with God does.It actually elevates the fact that, God, I believe in you.It elevates that.In the middle of, God, you're not providing what I think I need.It elevates this because you're wrestling with God. [00:42:20] (29 seconds) #WrestleWithGod

I'm not letting go because I believe that you are faithful and that you are good and that you provide and as you look out for the down and the out, God, I believe that and until I see it with my own eyes, until I feel it with my own self, like I'm just going to hang on to you and I'm not going to give up even though I'm not seeing what I want.But God, I believe that you have the best for me so I wrestle with you and I wrap my arms around you and I'm not going to let go of you. [00:43:30] (26 seconds) #ClingToGodInDoubt

My friends, the worst thing you can do in your doubt is to stiff arm God and to push God away from you.That's the worst thing that you can do.Remind yourself that when you doubt,it's not that you're doubting the existence of God.You're just doubting that God can provide and that doubt is real and God comforts those who doubt and God gets close to those who doubt.God does not abandon you.He pursues you.God loves the doubter.So let's wrestle with him and let's get close to him today. [00:43:57] (39 seconds) #StayCloseInDoubt

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