What to Do When You Doubt God
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6
Although many Christians will adamantly deny they have ever doubted God, most of us have. If we are being realistic and transparent, we can acknowledge that all of us have doubted God at some point in our lives. Rather than trying to promote the idea that all “faithful and strong” Christians never doubt God, we need to be honest with ourselves as well as others. Doubting God is common, but we cannot move forward if we never acknowledge this has happened to us.
I have doubted God many times in my Christian walk. Most of the time, this was when I was going through a depressive episode or a health scare. I doubted Him because I was afraid. Maybe you also doubted God because you were afraid. Doubt comes in many forms, yet most of us doubt God when we are afraid about something, someone, or the future. Scary times should bring us closer to God, yet sometimes they leave us feeling doubtful of God’s goodness and protection.
When we doubt, the first step is to accept our feelings. Rather than running from them, we need to acknowledge their presence and accept that this is how we are feeling. God knows we will doubt, but He doesn’t love us any less. His love is not dependent on our actions, thoughts, or behaviors. He loves us because love is His very being (1 John 4:8).
After we have accepted our feelings, we need to turn our hearts to God. Yes, we might feel doubtful right now, but we need to look at His past faithfulness. When I doubt God, I remember His love and faithfulness in past situations where I was afraid. Once I can get myself in this mindset, the doubt quickly flees as darkness does when someone shines a light. The doubt dissipates because I have been reminded of God’s goodness, protection, and love.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” As the writer of Hebrews tells us, we cannot please God without faith. When we doubt Him, we are not expressing faith in Him. Having faith in God is not blind faith; rather, it is a faith we can rely on.
The faith we have in God is built firmly upon the Bible, history, and what we have personally experienced in life. When we are doubting, we need to remember these things. We have to let go of doubt and hold onto faith. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, we have to come to Him in faith, believe that He exists, and rest in the promise that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Letting go of doubt will also give us true freedom. As mentioned, doubt is often rooted in fear. Once we are able to let go of doubt, we can let go of fear. At this point, we will be able to walk in faith and trust God in every area of our lives. Hard times will come around again and try to make us doubt, but we can choose to remember God's faithfulness rather than feed into doubt and fear.
Faith can be hard to find at times, yet we never need to doubt God. He is worthy of all of our trust (Psalm 20:7). We only have faith in the people and things that we trust. Therefore, we need to learn to trust God more in our lives. Trusting God can take time, but we can start taking the steps today. We will quickly find that trusting in God will never leave us alone or without hope.
We can trust God because He is faithful (Isaiah 25:1; Lamentations 3:23).
“Dear God, I’m sorry I have doubted You in the past. Please help me have faith and fully trust in You. Times are hard, and they can make me fearful. Equip my heart with faith and trust in You, God. I don’t want to live in a state of doubt anymore. Thank You for hearing my prayers. Amen.”
Have you recently doubted God? What was happening? How can you let go of doubt today and hold onto faith? Without faith, it is impossible to please God. How does this change your view of having faith in God?
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/m-gucci
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