Doubt Doesn’t Defile You

Doubt is something that will probably affect all of us at some point in our walk with Jesus. We can wonder if Jesus really did rise from the dead. We can wonder if God really exists. We can wonder if God really listens to us. None of us are immune to the crippling grip of doubt.

But what if I told you that doubt wasn’t the end of your story? I remember when I first started to doubt if Christianity is true as a rising college student. I thought it meant that my faith was faulty, that I wasn’t saved and sealed by God’s Holy Spirit. But what happened afterwards was incredible: God actually brought me closer to Him. I was afraid that He didn’t even exist, and yet God gave me a greater connection with Him.

That introduced me to a practice in my life that has brought greater and greater intimacy with God; just saying what’s on my mind. If I’m thankful, I tell God. If I’m anxious, I tell God. If I’m angry and upset, I tell God. I used to be afraid to share exactly how I was feeling with God, but I remember when I was on a mission trip in Gatlinburg Tennessee, I had a team leader say “God knows exactly what you’re feeling. Why hide it from Him?”

This doesn’t just apply to your doubts. If you’re wondering why God let you go through something awful, you can ask Him. You can ask Him why you had a miscarriage. You can ask Him why you feel so alone. You can ask Him why you have a particular illness or disease. That can feel borderline blasphemous for people, but there are numerous examples in the Psalms of writers asking, “God, why?” My favorite Psalm is Psalm 88, which ends with the words, “Darkness is my only friend”. No happy ending. No doctoring up the emotions. Just being real.

Be honest in your relationship with God. Talk to Him. Ask Him why. Our God is strong, He knows we are weak, and He is not going to run away.