Doubt
doubt or belief?
We talked last week about our doubts and about temptations. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they acted out of distrust that God was telling them the truth. Instead, they trusted the serpent. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he trusted God’s provision and relied on his identity given to him in his baptism. Even when Satan tried to convince Jesus to jump and trust God to protect him, Jesus knew it was a trick.
How do we know who to trust? How do we know who is telling the truth—even when we don’t like the truth we hear? How do we know who we can be vulnerable with?
These are big questions, and Christians of all ages continue to struggle with the answers. Trust is getting much harder to offer as information, misinformation (mistakes), and disinformation (lies) are thrown about.
Who do you trust and why?
Consider what you look for in someone you place your trust. Is it how they look? What they wear? The role or position they have? What if you had to trust someone you didn’t know—or were even afraid of?
Read Luke 10:25-37
Jews and Samaritans did not trust each other. They each saw each other as an enemy—someone who didn’t worship God or live in the right way. But the man left to die had no choice but to trust in the Samaritan who stopped and gave him aid.
Who are some ‘strangers’ that you might trust when you’re in a difficult situation? Why (or why not) do you trust them?
Watch: “The Reason You Can Trust God” video (Bible Project)
Based on what you know of God and the history of God’s people, is God trustworthy? Why/why not?
Watch: “God Loves You, But What Does That Mean?”
If God is trustworthy, is it still okay to have doubts and questions?
