July 29

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.” And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground. — Judg 6:39-40 BSB

Many of God’s people struggle with doubts and fears, wondering if the work of grace in their hearts is real. They question if their convictions were merely from natural conscience and if their joys were only the fleeting joys of a hypocrite. They cry, “Oh, what I would give to know for sure that the Holy Spirit is truly leading me!”

It is through these very doubts that we gain assurance. Doubts drive us to cry out for divine confirmation, and in response to these cries, God provides the assurance we long for. A person without doubts lacks true assurance. Doubts and assurance go hand in hand, like a lock and key or a puzzle and its solution. Assurance is like an Ebenezer, a “stone of help” (1 Sam. 7:12). But the stone must have a place to stand, and that place is doubt. Doubts about salvation make way for the manifestation of salvation, just as hunger makes way for food, or a thunderstorm makes us seek shelter. The one prepares the way for the other.

We do not learn about God or ourselves, sin or salvation, all at once. The important question isn’t whether you have much faith, but whether you have any faith at all. It’s not about the amount, but the quality. Even a small amount of true faith, like a mustard seed, can save the soul and move mountains. Happy is the one who has even a small testimony of their eternal security in the Father’s electing love, the Son’s atoning blood, and the Spirit’s divine teaching.