WHEN DOUBT MEETS GOD’S PROMISE

When Doubt Meets God’s Promise

Have you ever prayed for something, waited, and then, when nothing seemed to happen, started making your own backup plan? Maybe, like Sarah, impatience got the better of you. You trusted God at first, but when the wait felt too long, doubt crept in. And in that doubt, it’s so easy to take control ourselves… only to find that our way often makes things more complicated.

That’s exactly what happened to Sarah. God had promised her and Abraham a son, but the years stretched on and her womb remained empty. Tired of waiting, Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham, hoping to build a family through her. The result? Tension, jealousy, and heartbreak. Sarah’s shortcut only made life harder.

And yet this is the beauty of Sarah’s story: God didn’t give up on her. He came back, patient and forgiving, and reaffirmed His promise. Even when Sarah laughed in disbelief at the idea of having a child in her old age, God didn’t withdraw His word. He simply reminded her: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14).

Think about that for a moment. Science said it was impossible. Sarah’s body said it was impossible. Time itself said it was impossible. But God’s promise overruled it all. At ninety years old, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the child of laughter and joy.

Sarah’s story reminds us that doubt is not the end of faith. Even if we stumble, even if we try to control the outcome, God is still faithful. Sometimes all it takes is a mustard seed of trust: tiny, fragile, almost invisible, and God can turn our disbelief into joy.

Maybe that’s where you are right now. Maybe you’ve prayed and waited, but nothing has shifted. Maybe you’ve tried to make things happen on your own, and it only left you more frustrated. Maybe you even laughed at the thought that God could still come through.

If that’s you, take heart. God is patient. He hasn’t given up on you. His promises don’t have an expiration date.

So here’s the invitation: what if you let go today? What if you stopped striving, stopped planning your own backup story, and just rested in His timing? Like Sarah, you may not see how it could ever happen, but that’s where God loves to surprise us.

Your breakthrough may not look like you imagined, and it may not come when you want it to, but it will come in God’s perfect way. And when it does, you’ll look back and laugh not with doubt this time, but with joy. “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)