When the optometrist told me I had cataracts, I reacted like Doubting Thomas. I questioned the doctor’s diagnosis. Although he had advanced instruments that allowed him to see what was invisible to the naked eye, I still had doubts. How could he be correct when I had no trouble seeing? Nevertheless, I agreed to see a surgeon and schedule the recommended operations. On the day of the first surgery, I wondered if the nurse who examined my eye would cancel the procedure because she saw no cataract. However, she never brought up the possibility.

Later that day, I closed my untreated eye to assess the improvement in my vision in the other eye. It showed progress but still needed more time to heal. Then, I closed the eye without a cataract, and my jaw dropped. The world through the cataract appeared covered by a brown film. Dumbfounded, I realized I’d been looking through a dark window. What I thought was impossible turned out to be true. In an instant, I understood Thomas’s doubt about the disciples’ assertion that Jesus lived.

Easter Night ~ A Time of Confusion and Terror

Ten disciples hid behind locked doors to discuss the day’s events, fearing their connection to Jesus might lead to their arrest. That morning, some women encountered angels who proclaimed his resurrection, but the disciples dismissed their report as nonsense. Peter and John verified the empty tomb but found no one there. How could the angels’ assertion be true? Dead people stayed dead.

In response to his disciples’ questions, Jesus appeared among them. “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!” (Luke 24:38-39 NIV). The disciples’ doubt turned into joyous belief, overwhelming their confusion and fear. Jesus’ gift of presence and peace revitalized their faith.

Where Was Thomas?

Scripture doesn’t explain Thomas’s absence on Easter night. Did his distress and disappointment overpower him to the point of despair? Did he try to manage his grief by isolating himself? He, too, must have heard the women’s story, but instead of joining his fellow disciples to solve the mystery, he avoided them to nurse his pain.

Although the ten later assured him they had seen the Lord, Thomas protested. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 NIV). Thomas demanded more than a second-hand faith. He insisted on the same proof of life the other disciples had experienced.

Still searching for answers, Thomas joined the disciples’ gathering the following Sunday night. Again, Jesus ignored the locked doors. He confronted Thomas not with condemnation but with his presence, inviting his hurting follower to stop doubting and believe.

Do You Wrestle with Doubt?

Perhaps, like Thomas, you struggle with doubt when you experience evil, or your flame of faith dims, or your prayers seem unanswered. You question God’s power, presence, and love, asking, “Why doesn’t God stop the suffering of his children? Has he turned his back on me? Why doesn’t he give me what I ask for?”

 Can a person grapple with doubt and still have faith? Definitely. Many believers undergo seasons of uncertainty. A questionless faith may expose shallowness rather than strength. We ask questions because we believe God has answers. Doubts can draw us closer to the Lord as we search for explanations in his Word and prayer.

Strategies to Manage Doubt

1. Confess our doubts. Though Thomas spoke to the other disciples, Jesus heard his pleas for proof. Expressing our struggles to the Lord neither shocks nor scandalizes him. How we handle our doubts determines whether they divide us from him or drive us closer to him.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV).

2. Concede a greater power. When Jesus invited Thomas to stop doubting and believe, he didn’t ask his disciple to reject reality but to recognize his Father’s omnipotence. Doubt is a choice. Before we doubt our faith, let’s doubt our doubts, admitting our inability and God’s capability.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9 NIV).

3. Concentrate on God. Rather than scolding his panicked and perplexed disciples, Jesus blessed them with shalom. He offers the same to us when we focus on him rather than our doubts. The cure for uncertainty isn’t certainty but trust.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV).

Doubts sometimes assault Jesus’ followers, but if managed well, they can lead us to a deeper faith and closer walk with the Lord. When we use our questions to push us toward God, times of doubt can become times of growth. He may not give answers, but he gives himself. And in him, we find peace.

What strategies have you found effective for managing doubt? Please share them in the Comments box and let us learn from you.

What to Do with Doubt by @NancyLucenay on Beyond the Front Door Share on X