Words of Hope Daily Devotional
Species of Doubt
Read: Luke 24:36-49
Jesus himself stood among them . . . . [and] they were startled and frightened. (vv. 36-37 NIV)
Yesterday we looked at how doubt can be the result of having a divided mind but can also be due to fear or uncertainty. So what kind of doubt do the disciples have after seeing the resurrected Jesus? The species of doubt makes a difference.
Factual doubt exists because people lack the information to give their faith a firm foundation. Our reading shows us this kind of doubt. When Jesus appeared to his disciples behind locked doors, they were startled and frightened. To dispel their doubt, Jesus gave them more information. “Look at my hands and my feet. . . . Touch me” (v. 39). They doubted at first because they lacked the facts.
A more difficult kind of doubt is emotional doubt. It has to do with the way people feel about the Christian faith. It can grow out of anxiety, or depression, or some sort of trauma. In Luke 24:41, right after Jesus gave his disciples more facts, we encounter emotional doubt; they still did not believe “because of joy and amazement.” Their lives had been shattered by Jesus’s death. So now, even with the Living Fact standing right in front of them, they couldn’t get beyond their emotional response.
Many of us understand this very well. We know the facts, but our hopes and dreams have been shattered by suffering. So doubt lingers. As today’s Bible reading shows us, this kind of doubt requires the persistent ministry of Jesus.
As you pray, ask Jesus to encourage and comfort you when you have a divided mind.
Resurrection and Life
Read: John 11:1-7; 17-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (v. 25) Ten years ago, a friend was diagnosed with cancer and given months to live. But the end didn’t come. Doctors were amazed by
Good Shepherd
Read: John 10:10-18 I am the good shepherd. (v. 14) Every year, our church puts on a Christmas pageant. We cast the children of the congregation in familiar Nativity roles, from a couple of young girls as angels to a
Door
Read: John 10:1-9 Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (v. 7) Our dog barks anytime a stranger approaches our house. From her perch looking out the upstairs window, if she sees a delivery
Light of the World
Read: John 8:1-12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.” (v. 12) While we were staying together at a retreat center on the Oregon Coast, my friend went walking on the beach at sunset
Bread of Life
Read: John 6:25-40 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.” (v. 35) What are you hungry for? When we miss a meal, we feel the physical sensation of a rumbling tummy. But other things can gnaw at
Prince of Peace
Read: Matthew 2:1-18 His name shall be called . . . Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6) The picture on social media caught my breath: an image of a child being pulled from rubble in a war-torn land. My heart broke