Over the weekend, we began a brand-new series called I Doubt It. As we face difficulties, disappointments, and suffering here on this earth, we will, at times, have questions about our faith and how God is working amidst our pain. We do not need to keep these questions to ourselves or let these questions lead us further from God. Instead, we can bring our questions to our all-knowing, all-loving God, who can handle each and every one of our questions.
What is something you doubted you would be able to do, but you surprised yourself and did it anyway?
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1. Read Matthew 11:1-6. How does John the Baptist’s location in this passage of Scripture impact how you understand his question to Jesus in this passage of Scripture?
Matthew 11:1-6
When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region. 2John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 4Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
2. Is Jesus’ response to John’s question different from what would have been expected? How might His response to John have particularly encouraged him considering his present circumstances?
3. Read Matthew 11:7-11. What statement was Jesus making to the listening crowd about John the Baptist, and why do you think He made that statement?
Matthew 11:7-11
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. 9Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’ 11“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!
4. What can we learn about how God responds to our questions based on Jesus’ response to John’s question in Matthew 11?
1. What does John the Baptist teach us about how to respond when we have questions about God and faith?
2. Is the understanding that God is not fazed by our questions an easy or difficult concept for you to grasp? Why?
3. Jesus encouraged John the Baptist to pay attention to how He was at work in the world because His miracles and remarkable teachings proved that He was the Messiah. How do you see God at work in the world today, even amidst your questions and doubts?
When it comes to the difficulties we face that raise questions about our faith, we have the honor of praying for each other. Take time now to pray for group members who are currently walking through struggles and difficulties. Ask God to comfort them and to work in their lives. Commit to continue to pray for them throughout the rest of this week.
John the Baptist’s story is a reminder that we are invited to bring our questions and doubts to God. He can handle them. For the next few minutes, let’s turn to Scripture to see three attitudes we can bring to God as we approach Him with the questions we have: honesty, faith, and hope.
We do not have to sugarcoat our prayers to God as we bring our questions to Him. We can come to Him directly and speak the exact words that are on our minds with honesty. He invites us to come to Him just as we are. King David certainly understood this truth. The Psalms are filled with extremely honest, even uncomfortably honest at times, prayers to God. Take a look at one of these prayers now in Psalm 13.
1. Read Psalm 13:1-6
Psalm 13:1-6
O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.
2. What do you notice about David’s approach to God as he prayed this prayer in Psalm 13?
3. Do you think about approaching God in this manner when you pray? Why or why not?
4. What is the benefit of approaching prayer with the kind of honesty expressed in Psalm 13?
We do not have to have all of the answers when we turn to God. In fact, we are not all-knowing, so we will never “have all of the answers.” What we can bring when we come to God, however, is our faith. We do not have to understand or have the answers to our questions in order to come to God in faith, bringing our questions to Him.
1. Read Mark 9:14-27.
Mark 9:14-27
When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 16“What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 19Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
2. Describe the father’s mindset in this passage of Scripture based on his response to Jesus in verse 24.
3. Why can we approach God in faith even if we do not have all the answers?
4. How might approaching God in faith as you come to Him with your questions impact your prayers to Him?
Even though we will face difficulties and heartaches here on this earth, we are not without hope. You see, Jesus came to earth to bring hope to all who place their faith in Him. As a result, we can bring Him our questions with hope, knowing that if we have placed our faith in Him, we can look to the hope that this world is not the end, because we will spend eternity with Him forever one day.
1. Read John 11:25-26a.
John 11:25-26a
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.
2. In your own words, define hope. How is the hope that Jesus offers different from the world’s understanding of hope?
3. Why can we have hope, even amidst questions and uncertainties, according to this passage of Scripture?
4. How might coming to God with hope as you present your questions to Him impact your prayer life?
Take a few moments to get alone and pray. As you pray, model the three heart postures we studied in Scripture. Come to God in honesty, presenting questions and even doubts to Him; in faith, trusting Him even when you do not have all the answers; and in hope, clinging to the promise of eternal life with Him one day.
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