Main Thought
Almost everyone would claim that they try to be a good person. Christians try their best to be godly. Yet bad things happen to all of us in spite of this. We all face disappointment. Our disappointment can cause us to doubt God’s goodness. But doubt has consequences. It may help us deal with disappointment, but it keeps us from experiencing hope, God’s goodness, and deep connection. How do we leave this hopeless place behind, and walk out of doubt? We can take one step of faith at a time. We can trust God, pursue Him, or attempt to know Him a little more: moment-by-moment, day-by-day. If we continue to do this, then we’ll eventually find that we’ve journeyed out of our doubts. We’ll stand confidently in God’s goodness, regardless of what’s happening around us.
Main Passages
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
- Luke 1:8-18
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
- Luke 1:23-24
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God..
- Luke 1:57-64
Discussion Guide
What stands out to you in the Main Thought and Passages above?
Have you ever seen doubt have consequences, either in your life or in someone around you?
What’s one step of faith you can take to know God more this week?