What Jesus Did! 'Doubt Toward Belief' — Matthew 11:2-3

Thursday, May 15, 2025

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"

Key Thought

As John faced the struggle of his life, he maintained his integrity and faithfulness. His motivation was simply to know for sure that Jesus was who John believed him to be. He was not afraid to face death or doubt as he sought God's truth and lived God's life with commitment. Nearly all of us go through periods of doubt or struggle with difficult questions about our faith. Struggle with difficult questions, in and of itself, is not wrong or is it something to be feared. Christianity has withstood the criticisms, scrutiny, accusations, and doubt of centuries of our world's best thinkers and harshest skeptics. The issue with these kinds of struggles is whether we maintain Godly character with faithfulness in our ministry, holiness in our lifestyle, and honesty in our motives, speech, and actions. As we work through our struggles, if we are true to these Godly characteristics, we will find that our doubts and questions move us toward faith rather than toward disbelief. The biggest problem with struggles and doubts occurs when we break faithfulness and Satan can unleash a chain of consequences that weaken us spiritually. So in struggle and doubt, remember these three things: faithfulness in our ministry, holiness in our lifestyle, and honesty in our motives, speech, and actions.

Today's Prayer

O Lord, God of the great expanse and my Abba Father who adopted me in grace, please help me. Give me courage to face my doubts. Empower me with strength to face my struggles. Give me a heart that depends on the Holy Spirit's guidance. O God, I want to honor you with my behavior and my choices. More than just knowing the truth, dear God, I want to know you and to display your truth in my life. In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Revelation 2:10-11
  • Matthew 11:11-12
  • Proverbs 16:5-6

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1 Related Resource by Heartlight

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 11:2-3 NLT — "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.