Tearfund Lent Devotional Day 10

Holy doubt

‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:7, NIV)

I used to be terrified of doubt. I used to think that doubting meant I was a bad Christian. Surely true faith is always certain?

I have since learned that this is not a healthy way to live. Nor, I think, is it what God wants or expects from us.

There cannot be faith without doubt, because faith involves risk, and trust. There is a difference between having faith in something and being certain of it.

The call is not to flee from the uncertainty, but to seek God within it. I have been challenging myself with this when it comes to addressing poverty. Global hunger and poverty are massive, overwhelming challenges. It is easy to have doubts about whether we can overcome them.

Yet in these doubts, I trust. I feel the uncertainty, and I move forward anyway, knowing God is beside me.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you do not ask me to hide from my doubts. I bring my uncertainty and my questions before you today [spend a few moments thinking of areas in which you feel doubt], and I put my trust in you. Amen.

Chloe Au

Chloe lives in Kuala Lumpur and is Tearfund’s Communications Lead in Asia