But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Have you ever tried to give advice to someone who clearly already had their mind made up? This can be a frustrating situation. Even young children struggle with this, determined that they know what’s best even when they have only been on earth for a short time. As we grow, we discern what we think is best and develop our own ideas about how the world works. When we go to God, we often come with that approach: We want His help, but we also have a desired outcome. When we look to God and expect Him to work on our terms, we treat Him as a genie in a bottle that serves us instead of looking to Him as our perfectly wise authority.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” Faith is trusting God even when we can’t see the whole picture. Doubt leads us to trust in ourselves, and faith leads us to trust in God. Faith will take us out of our comfort zone and bring us to our knees; doubt will bring more chaos in our search for certainty. God is trustworthy and faithful. We don’t have to hold onto self-preservation because He preserves our life. As He leads us, it will not always be toward what is comfortable but will draw us to a deeper trust and dependence on Him.

• When have you struggled with doubt? How did you navigate that season?
• What does it look like to seek faith over doubt? Who has been an example to you of holding onto faith in hard times?
• Pray for a friend who is wrestling with doubt and ask God to help them see the goodness of trusting in Him.