Doubt is an interesting phenomenon. We are taught as Christians that we should not doubt God, that he who believes without seeing is blessed. But is doubt always a bad thing?
When we are living our lives and trying to follow Gods plan it is inevitable that doubt will creep in at some point. Something will give you cause to pause and think is this the right plan of action for me? Is this what I should be doing?
It is not that we are doubting God or His plans, but rather that we are questioning if we have made the right interpretation of the plan in our lives. The doubt comes in because we are only human and more than capable of getting things wrong and misunderstanding things. Self doubt is something that is difficult to battle, especially as the causes of the doubt may not have originated in us either. It can be that some words in passing from a friend or lack of support may cause us to rethink things through and introduce this self doubt. And once started the self doubt begins to grow.
From this doubt comes the fear that we may be doing the wrong thing, that the path we have started heading down is in fact the wrong path. What do we do when this doubt and fear set in? how do we find the answer and decide if we should stick to our path or change it?
The answer every time has to be prayer. Ask for guidance, ask for knowledge and wisdom. Pray constantly until you are given the answers you need, until it becomes clear in your mind the direction to take. Paul once wrote some encouraging words to the Church in Philippii:
Philippians 1:6
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
If there is any doubt or a fear that you are not doing God's work or that you are not heading along the right path ask. Ask and ask again, because God will give you guidance, He will not be silent. You may be struggling to hear what He is saying but the answer will be there.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.
"When you come looking for me, you'll find me.
"Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree.
"I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"-God's Decree-"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
God has plans for all of us, they may not always be clear, at time you will doubt that you have understood them. But God has told us already that when we are serious about seeking Him you will find Him, when you call on Him He will listen. You may not be in exile in the same way as the Israelites were but God will bring you back from the self doubt and bring you back to the point where you can start off from again.
