Meet Them Where They Are

“Have mercy on those who waver.” - Jude 22 CSB

Think about a moment when your faith felt weak. Maybe you were grieving. Maybe you had prayed for something that never happened. Maybe a Christian you trusted hurt you deeply. Maybe you encountered a question you could not answer. Maybe fear became louder than everything you knew to be true.

Now think about what you needed in that moment. You probably did not need someone to panic over your questions. You did not need to be treated like a threat. You did not need a shallow answer delivered before anyone listened to what was happening in your heart.

You needed mercy. You needed someone who could sit beside you without being pulled into your confusion. Someone who could listen without agreeing with every conclusion. Someone who could speak truth without treating you like a problem to solve. Someone who would pray, open Scripture, and remind you of what was still true when you were having trouble seeing it.

Jude tells the church to become those people. "Have mercy on those who waver."

This command is not only about how God responds to our doubt. It is about how we respond to the doubt of others.

And if we are honest, the church has not always handled this well.

Sometimes believers become defensive when someone asks a difficult question. We hear uncertainty and assume rebellion. We hear pain and respond with a debate. We hear someone say, "I do not know what I believe right now," and immediately begin correcting them before we understand why their confidence has weakened.

Truth matters. Doctrine matters. Jude wrote his letter because false teaching was entering the church. He called believers to contend for the faith.

Yet in the same letter, he commanded them to show mercy to those who were wavering.

That means faithfulness requires discernment. We have to learn the difference between a deceiver seeking to pull people away from Christ and a wounded person trying to find their way back toward Him.

The false teacher needs firm correction. The doubting believer needs compassionate truth. Both need the gospel. The approach will not always look the same.

Pause there.

Mercy does not mean pretending every belief is equally true. It does not mean affirming conclusions that contradict Scripture. It does not mean allowing someone else's uncertainty to pull you away from what God has spoken.

Mercy means entering the struggle without losing your footing. It means caring enough to listen. It means recognizing that there may be grief beneath the question.

There may be betrayal beneath the anger. There may be disappointment beneath the argument. There may be fear beneath the skepticism.

People do not always express pain cleanly. A struggling person may sound defensive. They may ask the same question repeatedly. They may say things that make you uncomfortable. They may push back against the answers you offer.

Mercy remains patient while truth remains steady.

That is how Jesus treated struggling people.

Peter is one of the clearest examples.

Before the crucifixion, Peter boldly promised that he would remain with Jesus even if everyone else abandoned Him. He said he was ready to die.

Hours later, fear took over. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

On the third denial, Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Imagine that moment. Peter had failed exactly where he promised to be strongest. The words were still leaving his mouth when his eyes met the eyes of Christ.

Peter went outside and wept bitterly. Failure had become personal.

After the resurrection, Jesus sought Peter out. He did not ignore the denial. He also did not humiliate Peter.

Three times Jesus asked, "Do you love me?" Three times Peter answered. Then Jesus gave him a calling. "Feed my sheep."

The failure was real. The restoration was greater. Jesus met Peter where he was, spoke directly to what had happened, and led him forward.

That is mercy. Mercy does not pretend the fall never happened. Mercy reaches into the wreckage and begins rebuilding.

Some people never recover from seasons of doubt because other Christians will not allow them to move beyond their lowest moment. Every question is remembered. Every failure is repeated. Every struggle becomes their identity.

Yet Jesus did not rename Peter according to his denial. He restored him and recommissioned him.

What would happen if the church reflected that kind of mercy?

What if people knew they could admit their questions without being mocked? What if someone could say, "I am struggling to trust God," and hear, "Let's walk through this together"? What if people who had been hurt by a church encountered believers willing to acknowledge the wound, confess wrong where needed, and show them the character of Christ? What if our first response was compassion rather than suspicion?

That kind of church would still contend for truth. It would also create space for wounded people to heal beneath that truth.

And here is where this becomes personal.

Who around you may be wavering?

Maybe it is your child. They grew up in church, though now they are asking questions that make you nervous. Do not panic. Listen carefully. Ask what led them there. Keep the relationship open. Speak truth patiently. Pray for Spirit-given wisdom.

Maybe it is your spouse. They are walking through pain and have started questioning whether God is listening. Do not reduce their suffering to a lack of faith. Sit with them. Pray with them. Remind them of God's character without rushing their grief.

Maybe it is someone in your life group. They admitted that they no longer feel close to God. Instead of offering a quick response, invite them to talk. Ask when the distance began. Help them reconnect with Scripture, prayer, and Christian community.

Maybe it is you. You may need to receive the mercy you are called to give. You may need to stop punishing yourself for a season of weakness Christ has already met with grace. You may need to accept help. You may need to tell someone, "My faith feels unsteady, and I need you to walk with me."

The church is a body. When one member is weak, the others do not stand at a distance and criticize. They move closer. They strengthen. They carry. They remind. They point toward Christ.

None of us stands through our own strength. Every believer lives because God has been merciful. He has been patient when we were slow to understand. He has corrected us when we wandered. He has restored us when we failed. He has answered our fear with truth. He has met our weakness with grace.

People who have received mercy should become people who give mercy.

So choose one person today. Reach out. Ask how they are really doing. Listen before preparing your answer. Refuse to shame their questions. Open Scripture with them. Pray for them. Remind them that doubt does not have to become the end of their story.

Then keep showing up. One conversation may not resolve everything. Mercy is often patient. It walks with people while Christ rebuilds what pain, disappointment, or confusion weakened.

Have mercy on those who waver. Meet them where they are. Speak truth. Carry hope. Point them toward Jesus.

Reflection Question
Who in your life may be struggling with doubt, disappointment, or spiritual weakness, and what specific act of patient mercy can you show them this week?

People who have received mercy should become people who give mercy.

Prayer
Father, thank You for the mercy You have shown me. You have been patient when I was confused. You have corrected me when I wandered. You have received me when my faith felt weak and restored me when I failed.

Make me a person who reflects Your heart.

Give me discernment to recognize the difference between rebellion and weakness. Help me contend faithfully for truth while responding compassionately to those who are struggling.

Forgive me for the times I have spoken before listening. Forgive me for treating questions like threats and wounded people like problems.

Give me Spirit-given wisdom to know when to listen, when to speak, when to correct, and when to remain quietly present.

Show me who needs encouragement today.

Help me meet them where they are without leaving them there. Give me patience to walk with them, courage to speak truth, and love that points them toward Christ.

May our church become a place where doubt is brought into the light, weakness is met with mercy, truth is handled faithfully, and wounded people are restored.

In Jesus' name, amen.