Praying With Doubt - Be Intentional

“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “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 20:24-25, NIV)

“Mommy, will you pray I get a blue ribbon?”

I was tucking my seven-year-old son in for bed a week before his last swim meet when he asked me that pointed question.

“Sure,” I said, while smoothing his blanket across his chest and tucking his favorite stuffed animal into his arms. I tried to hide the hesitation in my voice. First place was not something we had experienced yet that season.

Every night that week, we took turns praying. And every night I left his room filled with doubt, fearing how this event would play out. His confidence in racing to first steadily grew while mine waned. And I fretted that a negative outcome would rattle his newly emboldened faith. How does a kid who has never won, suddenly do so?

The night of the meet, I held my breath as he stepped up to the edge of the pool. I quickly noticed no other kids lined up with him for this breaststroke event. That had never happened before! Therefore, as a solo racer, he reached the other end of the pool first, earning himself a blue ribbon.

I was so humbled that night and I learned a powerful lesson. God didn’t require my faith to be confident in order to answer my prayers. He hears the voice of the doubter, too.

There is a man in Scripture affectionately known as “Doubting Thomas.” He is famously known for questioning his fellow disciples who claimed to have seen the resurrected Christ. Thomas refused to believe his friends until he saw Jesus and His nail-scarred hands for himself (see John 20:25).

Thomas’s stubbornness is recorded in Scripture, but can we blame him? The last time he had seen Jesus, death had been imminent. So, yes, Thomas insisted on proof, but don’t discount him. Voicing his skepticism was good. It led him to be honest. And his honesty is not the only thing worth noting in this passage. Look what happened after Thomas demanded proof.

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them” (v. 26).

Thomas. Was. With. Them.

Thomas doubted. But he didn’t leave. A week later, when Jesus showed up, Thomas was still in the mix. Jesus waited seven days to reveal Himself to Thomas. Therefore, Thomas had seven days to walk away. But he didn’t. Instead, he stayed the course and that perseverance paid off with a personal visit from Jesus.

Doubt is not a sign of weakness. Rather it’s an invitation to be honest with God. And God can handle your honesty. When we wrestle with Him it deepens the relationship and allows Him the opportunity to reveal Himself in greater ways.

Don’t give up because a request looks beyond God’s reach, or you lack the faith to believe it. Stay the course. God would rather hear a shaky prayer than no prayer at all. He wants our communion even if we aren’t confident in what we are saying.

So go ahead, be honest, wrestle with your doubts, and aim for a blue-ribbon prayer today.

Be Intentional

Set a timer for one minute. Consider the area of your life where you doubt God’s power, provision, or protection. Talk to Him about your doubts and ask Him to increase your faith. Then, pray as boldly as you can.