Honest Faith In Doubt
Matthew 11:3
[3] and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (ESV)
I love the raw honesty of the Bible. It doesn’t sugarcoat human experience or edit out the uncomfortable details. If the Bible were merely a human creation, many of its stories would have been polished to remove the moments of doubt, failure, and struggle. After all, how often do we omit the painful or embarrassing parts of our own stories when sharing them with others? We tend to reshape our narratives to cast ourselves in a more favorable light, protecting our pride and avoiding judgment. But the Bible doesn’t do that. It is a book of truth—unvarnished, unfiltered, and deeply human.
The Bible compels us to confront the painful and cringe-worthy moments in the lives of the saints. Just look at the stories of Noah, Abraham, Lot, and Jacob. Their lives are not tales of perfection but of struggle, failure, and redemption. And that’s just in the first book of the Bible! As we read further, we find Samson, David, Solomon, Jonah, and countless others—all of whom had their weaknesses, sins, and doubts recorded for us to see. The Bible doesn’t just tell us about faith; it tells us about the wrestlings of faith, the moments when even the greatest heroes faltered.
Matthew 11:3 gives us one such moment. John the Baptist, the very man who boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, was sitting in a prison cell, awaiting execution. This was the man who had lived with radical obedience to God’s call, preparing the way for Christ. And yet, as he faced his final days, he experienced doubt. He sent his disciples to Jesus with a simple but heartbreaking question:
“Are you really the one?”
John’s question wasn’t born out of ignorance. He had already declared Jesus to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” His own followers had turned to Jesus because of his testimony. And it wasn’t for lack of experience either. John had baptized Jesus, witnessed the Spirit descend like a dove, and heard the voice of God Himself proclaim, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
So why did he doubt?
Because trials have a way of shaking us. When suffering and uncertainty press in, even the strongest of us can begin to ask: Are you really God? Are you really there?
One of the greatest disservices we do in the Church is pretending that these kinds of doubts don’t exist. We sometimes act as if true believers never wrestle with questions, never second-guess, never struggle in the dark. But the truth is, we all will at some point. And here’s the good news: God is big enough for our questions.
I believe He wants us to bring them to Him. Not in pretense, not in polished prayers that mask our fears, but in raw honesty. He desires us to come as we are, not as we think we should be. Because it’s in that honesty—in the deepest, most unfiltered parts of our hearts—that He can do His greatest work.
So I invite you to read the stories of the broken saints. Read them not just as historical accounts but as testimonies of God’s grace amid human weakness. As you do, I challenge you to embrace the same honesty before God. Bring Him not just the parts of your life that you think He will be proud of, but the burdens, the fears, and the doubts that haunt you. Because when you bring your true self before Him, you give Him room to work miracles in your life.
