We are all familiar with doubt. We may have seen people who are dear to us struggle to believe that better things are ahead, or perhaps we have struggled with doubt ourselves. Doubt often grows out of uncertainty or fear, especially when we are walking
through hardships in this imperfect world. It can show up in many different ways, influencing how we think, how we respond, and how we move forward.
As we step into adulthood, we quickly realize that we carry many more responsibilities. We become responsible for our finances, our careers, our relationships, and many of the decisions that shape our lives. At times, the weight of these responsibilities can cause us to question whether we are capable of handling what is in front of us. We can begin to doubt ourselves, our future, and even what God is doing in our lives.
Doubt can keep us from moving forward into the life God has called us to live. It can also keep us from inviting the Father into the difficult places of our lives. Instead of bringing our burdens to Him, we can become consumed by the problem and try to carry the weight in our own strength. We forget the truth that God the Father desires to carry our burdens, comfort us, strengthen us, and help us move forward into what He has called us to do.
I have experienced this in my own life. There have been moments when God has showed me that I am walking in my own strength. When I try to carry everything myself, I eventually become exhausted and burn myself out. I have come to realize that God wants me to live doubt free. He wants me to take my heaviness, my fears, and my doubts and lay them at His feet. I have discovered, when I choose to rest and be secure in Jesus; I am able to walk in greater authority, freedom, and peace.
Fear and doubt are closely connected. Fear can fuel doubt, causing us to question God’s promises, His timing, or even His presence. That is why it is important for us to continually surrender our fears to the Father. Instead of allowing fear to control us, we can make room for His peace to replace our anxiety and deepen our trust in Him.
Surrender means learning to depend on Jesus and recognizing that we cannot do this life without Him. Through surrender, we experience the comfort and presence of the Father. When we step into what God has for us, we also step into the transforming work He desires to do within us. As we surrender our doubts and allow the Father to work in our hearts, He begins to reshape our thinking, strengthen our faith, and draw us closer to Him.
The Father never expected us to live without moments of fear or doubt. He knows our weaknesses, understands our struggles, and sees the places where we feel uncertain. Yet, in the middle of those moments, we have a choice. We can carry our fears and doubts on our own, or we can bring them to Him.
That is where faith begins to grow.
Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is choosing to trust the Father even when we do not have all the answers. When we surrender what we cannot control and place our trust in Him, we discover that we were never meant to carry the weight alone. The Father is present in our uncertainty, faithful in our hardships, and ready to lead us forward.
When we look at the stories in the Bible, we can see this displayed, like in Matthew 14:22, which shares the story of Jesus and his disciples:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith.” he said, “Why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God”
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding countries. People brought all their sickness to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
As we look at this Scripture, we can see that as the disciples followed Jesus, their Journey became an example of what it looks like for us to step into a life of faith. They did not always understand where Jesus was leading them or what was going to happen next, but they chose to follow Him.
In the same way, we may not always have clarity about what God is doing in our lives, but we can choose to trust Him, surrender our doubts, and take the next step in faith.
