Have you ever caught yourself doubting God?

John 20:24 & 25, But Thomas, called Didymus (the twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand to His side, I will not believe.”

Thomas was once willing to die with and for Jesus. But the death of his Lord had destroyed his faith. And so it is with so many today. Once alive and steadfast, many find their faith in God destroyed by doubt — doubt brought on and nourished for oh so many reasons and circumstances. Devout devotion; destroyed; devastated.

There are two kinds of doubting. There is dishonest doubt. It is rooted in the proud, sinful mind.

This kind of doubt says it must have verification, in its own way, on its own terms, in order to accept and believe. The person having this kind of doubt really does not wish to believe.

Then there is honest doubt. For instance, consider the healing of the child at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration and the father’s honest doubt; “I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24).

And Jesus did not rebuke that man. Here we see the character of honest doubt: There is a struggle inside, but one that desires knowledge, truth, and light. There is something strong, something good, in honest doubt. It is not negative or neutral; it is actively seeking faith.

Some need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions and questions lead to answers and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work.

It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a life-style that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, do not stop there, but let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue to sincerely search for answers.

Those who pass through the valley of honest doubt emerge with a stronger faith than those who never dared face their doubts.

Few things are more worthy to be despised, or of less value as a witness to the Gospel, than a pale, inherited, convictionless, untested faith. God grant us all doubt rather than such a frail faith. As an old saying goes, “It is better to doubt out loud than to disbelieve in silence.”

John 20:29, Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus gave this special blessing to all Christians who believe in Him even though we have not seen Him. We have all the proof we need in the words of the Holy Bible and the testimony of believers.

When you experience doubt, take encouragement from Thomas. He didn’t stay in his doubt, but allowed Jesus to bring him back to total belief. Take encouragement also from the fact that great Biblical personalities struggled at times with spiritual doubt.

Furthermore, countless other followers of Christ have struggled with their doubts. So take encouragement from these facts.

But if you allow your doubts to destroy your faith, one day you may wonder, “What happened to my life? What happened to my eternity?”