Hope for the Doubter

October 1, 2025

There Are Many Reasons for Doubt

There are people that we know well who have failed us, and it causes us to doubt.

There is so much false information shared on social media that it may cause us to doubt everything. Here are a few examples I’ve seen:

• Archeological finds of giant skeletons

• Texas flood—shocking video clips of the disaster—most faked

• Someone shown wearing a shirt in support of Trump or Harris during the election, with the message photoshopped over a plain white T-shirt

• Animals doing amazing things, like wolves befriending a housecat or bears jumping on a trampoline

• Cat on the wing of a plane falling to its death

• Political news stories about a legal citizen being deported

In fact, less than half of online information is true.

Furthermore, we often see a lot of suffering in our world that causes us to doubt because we wonder where God is in the middle of it. Seeing a world full of hurt and pain can make us question whether God is indeed good.

The problem is not doubt itself, but rather how we handle our doubt. Mishandled skepticism…mishandled doubt…often results in a lack of hope.

We Are Not Alone in Handling Doubt

Peter Walking on Water

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”—Matthew 14:31

The Road to Emmaus

After Jesus’ crucifixion, his friends were heartbroken because their hopes and dreams of a new and better world under the rule of God’s kingdom had seemingly ended.

“…but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”—Luke 24:21

Thomas, the Doubter

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”—John 20:24–25

Thomas gets a bad rap in the Church as some kind of stuffy skeptic. He is too often viewed as a grumpy old cynic. However, if we are truthful, Thomas comes to this place of skepticism and doubt honestly.

He had just watched his mentor of three years be brutally killed on a cross. The thought of getting his hopes up about a resurrection that would defy all logic may have been too hard to wrap his mind around. More than likely, he was trying to protect himself from further pain. Thomas says he will not believe unless he sees evidence in front of his eyes—evidence he can both see and touch.

A week after Thomas tells the others that he refuses to believe their reports, he and the disciples are together in a locked room when suddenly the source of hope arrives.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”—John 20:26–27

Without much explanation, Jesus, in the flesh, shows up in this locked room with the disciples. They must have been shocked to the core. In fact, the first words Jesus speaks to them are “Peace be with you”—perhaps to reassure them that they need not be afraid.

And whom does he speak to first? Thomas. The doubter. The one who refused to believe he was alive. Notice how Jesus addresses him. He does not reprimand him for doubt. He does not belittle him for skepticism. He does not ridicule him for needing proof. No—he invites Thomas to see for himself. He says, “Put your fingers in the scars in my hands and side.”

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

By Caravaggio (1601)

We Fail to Doubt When We Trust the Source

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”—John 20:28–29

Thomas had first-hand evidence that came directly from the source. This caused his doubts to melt away. Our doubts can also turn to hope when we go directly to the source and find that Jesus is trustworthy.

Robert Louis Stevenson, one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, writes of one of his excursions to the South Sea Islands where the ship encountered a terrible storm. In the belly of the ship, the passengers grew frightened and worried that it would be lost. They were filled with doubts about their safety.

One of the men finally ventured out into the wind and rain and scurried to the upper deck, where he saw the captain quietly pacing the bridge. With a tranquil and undisturbed face, the captain looked out across the sea and gave orders for handling the ship. He turned to the man and smiled.

The man made his way back to the cabin where the other passengers were huddled together in fear. In response to their questions, he comforted them by saying, “I have seen the captain’s face, and all is well.”

In the same way, our hope is renewed when we encounter Jesus directly—when we see and feel his presence in our lives.

Doubt is not a failure. It is an opportunity to seek him more earnestly, to ask hard questions, and to discover a faith that is resilient and authentic.

Just as Thomas was invited to touch the scars of Christ and experience the truth for himself, we too are invited to come close, witness the evidence of his love and faithfulness, and allow our doubts to be transformed into a hope that endures.