Trusting and Doubting

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)

As a devoted Jew, Peter was anticipating the arrival of the promised king who would come and save Israel from foreign oppression. The Messiah was the one who would make things right and reward the Jewish people for the wrongs they had endured. After walking with Jesus, hearing him preach and teach, and witnessing the miracles He performed, Peter was convinced that this was the long-anticipated Messiah he previously heard about. This was not some dead prophet from the past. This was the living son of God in the present right now.

What makes Peter so relatable, though, is that as certain as he was in saying Jesus was the Messiah when everyone else was saying He was a prophet, Peter also denied even knowing Jesus later on because he began to doubt.  

How many times do we find ourselves in a similar situation? At one moment, we’re so confident in who the Lord is because of what He’s done in our lives and how He’s shown up for us. And then the next, we’re questioning Him, doubting Him, and trying to figure things out on our own because life isn’t going the way we thought it should.  

This is why it’s so important to ground ourselves in truth, like we talked about yesterday. We must remind ourselves of who Jesus is by reading His Word and looking back on His past faithfulness so that we don’t allow our current feelings and circumstances to convince us that Jesus isn’t worth trusting.  

So whatever you’re facing today, my prayer is that you will take the time to remind yourself of who Jesus truly is and rest in that truth every day.