Be Honest About Your Doubts
Thomas said to him, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7)
One of the most maligned characters in Christian history is the disciple identified in today’s key passage as Thomas. His name is often prefaced with the adjective “doubting” which describes the way in which he constantly appears in Scripture, questioning or voicing his uncertainty about the plans of Jesus Christ.
The problem with Thomas isn’t that he’s unwilling to fight and die for Jesus. Christian tradition shows that he is. The issue is that he just needs everything proven or explained to him, because until he is convinced, he is not going to blindly go along.
What I like about Thomas is that he’s not ashamed to express his doubts. When Jesus foreshadows His departure and says that His disciples know the way to where he is going, Thomas responds, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
I do not know why Thomas didn’t know the answer to that question. Perhaps he missed class that day, like he missed Jesus’ appearance in John chapter 20 after Jesus’ resurrection, leading Thomas to proclaim, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
But whatever the reason, at least Thomas had the courage to express the uncertainty in his mind and the fear in his heart. At least he had the temerity and boldness to express his reservations, rather than feeling like he had to put on a front just to be a disciple in Jesus’ circle. He wasn’t afraid to be honest about how he felt and what he was going through, and neither should we.
We could all learn a lesson from Thomas in that we shouldn’t be ashamed to have doubts. But when we have those doubts, we should bring them to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to give us the faith we need to overcome the doubt.
One of the most maligned characters in Christian history is the disciple identified in today’s key passage as Thomas. His name is often prefaced with the adjective “doubting” which describes the way in which he constantly appears in Scripture, questioning or voicing his uncertainty about the plans of Jesus Christ.
The problem with Thomas isn’t that he’s unwilling to fight and die for Jesus. Christian tradition shows that he is. The issue is that he just needs everything proven or explained to him, because until he is convinced, he is not going to blindly go along.
What I like about Thomas is that he’s not ashamed to express his doubts. When Jesus foreshadows His departure and says that His disciples know the way to where he is going, Thomas responds, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
I do not know why Thomas didn’t know the answer to that question. Perhaps he missed class that day, like he missed Jesus’ appearance in John chapter 20 after Jesus’ resurrection, leading Thomas to proclaim, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
But whatever the reason, at least Thomas had the courage to express the uncertainty in his mind and the fear in his heart. At least he had the temerity and boldness to express his reservations, rather than feeling like he had to put on a front just to be a disciple in Jesus’ circle. He wasn’t afraid to be honest about how he felt and what he was going through, and neither should we.
We could all learn a lesson from Thomas in that we shouldn’t be ashamed to have doubts. But when we have those doubts, we should bring them to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to give us the faith we need to overcome the doubt.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
When Faith Blocks the ViewThe Cost of Carrying the CrossPower Was Never the PointGod Meets You Where You AreFaith That Chooses People Over ProfitWhen the Cross Loses Its MeaningClearing the View So Christ Can Be SeenWhen Worry Becomes a Way of LifeGod Is Not Surprised by Bad LeadershipWhen God Writes on the WallGod Controls the ClockGod Is Watching the ScaleWhen God Writes the EndingYou Do Not Have to Carry This AloneWhen Life Feels Like a JungleWhat You Are Leaning On MattersPeace Comes From the InsideRemember What God Has Already DoneProtecting Your Peace on PurposeWhen You Have to Say It Out LoudTrust Is a Long GameWhen Joy Breaks ContainmentGod Shows Up in Hard SeasonsKeep Moving When Everything Says StopGet Ready for What You Are Praying ForFaith That Is Willing to WorkWorship Is How We Acknowledge God’s Hand
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
No Comments