July 2 - When Questions Knock, Christ Opens the Door - Mr. Preston
A Devotional on Expressing Doubt and Seeking Truth
“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see My hands. … Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
— John 20:27-28
Point 1 – Doubt Is Not Rebellion; It Is Invitation
Scripture never hides honest misgivings. Thomas voices what the rest of the disciples only felt, and Jesus answers by showing wounded hands. Likewise, the father of the demon-tossed boy blurts, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Lutheran theology calls this simul iustus et peccator—saint and sinner at once. Questions reveal our ongoing need for the Gospel, not a forfeiture of it (Rom 7:24-25). Bringing doubts into the light keeps us near the Crucified, where mercy is louder than misgivings.
Look up: Ps 73:2-3, 16-17; Jude 22.
Point 2 – Word and Sacrament Form the Answering Room
Faith “comes from hearing the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Luther pointed wavering hearts to verbum et sacramenta—the preached Word, Baptism’s promise, and the Supper’s tangible pledge. When uncertainty swirls, these means of grace tether us to objective realities outside our feelings (Heb 6:19). Read the Psalms out loud, mark questions in the margins of Matthew’s Gospel, taste bread and wine that is Christ’s body and blood (1 Cor 11:24-26). Doubt is slowly disarmed when ears, eyes, and tongues receive the same faithful Christ.
Look up: Isa 55:10-11; Luke 24:30-32.
Point 3 – Christ Meets Us Through One Another
Thomas was still with the disciples when Jesus appeared; the community carried him until sight arrived. Likewise, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works … encouraging one another” (Heb 10:24-25). Share your hardest questions with a trusted friend, pastor, or small-group mentor. Their stories of wrestling (Gen 32:26) and their intercession (Gal 6:2) become Christ’s own voice. Luther called believers “little Christs” to each other—living reminders that no one interrogates the darkness alone.
Look up: Prov 27:17; 2 Cor 1:3-4.
Practices for Today
Map the Question. Write your chief doubt in the center of a page. Around it, list every related passage you can find. Notice patterns of God’s faithfulness.
Pray the Psalmist’s Honesty. Read Psalm 13 morning and evening; each time, add a personal line that begins, “How long, O Lord, until You…?”
Invite a Conversation. Ask a mature believer to share one doubt God has already answered in their life. Listen for the unexpected ways Christ showed up.
These varied exercises engage logical analysis, concrete action, imaginative exploration, and relational connection—drawing the whole person into the search for truth.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You never scold the questioning heart; You show Your scars and speak peace. Take the fragments of our uncertainty and fit them into the larger story of Your resurrection. Through Your Word, Your Supper, and Your people, anchor us again in grace. We ask in Your name. Amen.