READ: JOHN 20:24-29; ACTS 17:10-12; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11

We all have doubts and questions from time to time. Does God exist? Are heaven and hell real? Does the Bible actually teach what people say it does? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Maybe it’s questions from a friend that make us doubt. Maybe it’s something we hear on social media, in a movie, in a book, or from a teacher. Or maybe it’s just our own wondering hearts.

Let me assure you: it’s absolutely okay to doubt. It can even be good! Faith is not blind belief in what someone tells us. Instead, it’s a trusting reliance on a God we can know personally. Doubts can help us realize what we still need to learn… and what we don’t yet understand. That’s a healthy part of the Christian life.

It wouldn’t be healthy, though, if we just ignored our doubts, or if we gave in to them. We have to do something about them. We have to answer them.

How? The way we answer any question: with thought and research. But also, with prayer. God invites us to entrust our doubts to Him, asking Him to make the answers clear to us and to help us know Him better in the process. For example, if you can’t come up with reasons why you know God exists, maybe ask a trusted Christian in your life to tell you their reasons—such as a friend, pastor, or family member—or find a book by a Christian apologetics expert. If you’re wondering whether something you’ve been taught is truly right, be like the Bereans in Acts 17—pick up a Bible, and find out what God has to say!

Easy? Certainly not always. But if we don’t challenge ourselves, if we don’t ask tough questions and search for tough answers, how will we grow? Remember, God can use our questions—and the things we learn from them—to equip us for the missions He has for us in His kingdom. So we don’t need to be afraid of doubts. As Jesus mercifully appeared to Thomas when he doubted—showing Thomas His wounds from the cross to prove that He was alive again—Jesus reveals Himself and comes near to us in our search for tough answers. • Christiana Albrecht

• What doubts do you have about your faith? Which topics make you uncomfortable?

• Is it hard for you to admit that you don’t have all the answers? Why do you think that is?

• When you find yourself struggling with doubt, who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk openly with—someone who will listen well, pray with you and for you, and remind you that you are forgiven and loved, completely and eternally, in spite of your doubts?

But test all things. Hold on to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (CSB)