- Why Do I Have Doubt?
- When You’re in a Season of Doubt
- How to Overcome Your Doubts about God
Have you ever doubted something? Most of us at some point have said something like, “I doubt I’ll ever get a better job,” “I doubt she’d go out with me,” I doubt my car will run out of gas before I get to the gas station.” I’ve had that one come back to haunt me more than once.
Doubt is the feeling that’s between belief and unbelief. “I don’t know, but I don’t not know, but I don’t think so.” One dictionary defines doubt as a “feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.”
If we stick with doubt being a “lack of conviction,” have you ever doubted God? Have you ever doubted that he exists? Have you doubted that he would come through for you in a crisis? You prayed and prayed and nothing changed, so did you doubt he cared?
Maybe your faith is strong now, but you doubted God in the past, and you feel guilty about it. You feel distant from God because you’re ashamed that you questioned him, which, in turn, leads to doubt again.
To me, the question isn’t so much whether we will doubt, but what we’ll do with those doubts when they come. So let’s meet doubt head-on. We’ll look at some things that may create doubt and some ways to make it through a season of doubt. In the process, we can try to answer why God would even allow you to go through a time of doubt in the first place.
What are some catalysts for doubt? One is the criticism you receive for obeying God. You’re doing your best to live the way Jesus is calling you to live. You’re the only one who doesn’t use foul language, and others think you’re odd. You’re working to keep yourself morally pure, and you get laughed at for it. People who are cutting corners at work know that you don’t, and they don’t like that. You get on their nerves with what they think is your “holier than thou” attitude when you’re just trying to be faithful to Jesus. You speak out against social issues of the day, and they pounce on you. People think you’re silly or, even worse, evil.
One day a person named Asaph noticed that people who didn’t believe in God were winning at life, so much so that believers began to doubt God and were tempted to join the crowd.
Look at these words and see if you’ve ever thought them:
Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?” Look at these wicked people—enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. (Psalm 73:1-12, NLT)
People criticize you for following Christ, and you notice that those people are all doing just fine. You’re working hard to swim against the flow — and it’s costing you. Those going with the flow of culture are flourishing. That’s when doubt can creep in. “Is it really important for me to do this? What if all these rules are just made up? What if the Bible isn’t true? What if God doesn’t care about these rules?”
Those thoughts led the author to the following:
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. (Psalm 73:13-14)
Here I am, struggling because I’m trying to follow God, and all I get for it is trouble. Everyone around me thinks obeying the Bible is either silly, stupid, or even wicked, and they’re all doing just fine. Is obeying God really that important? Is the Bible even real? Is there even a God at all? Maybe you’ve been there.
Another catalyst for doubt in the heart of a believer is our conscience. By conscience, I mean the inner awareness we have of the morality of our thoughts or actions. It’s the ability to know whether what we’re doing is good or bad.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul says faith (the opposite of doubt) and morality (a clean conscience) are closely linked. Paul was guiding Timothy in how to stand up to false teachers who were hurting the church, and he writes this:
The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
Paul is saying that the way to combat false teaching is for believers to stand firm on the foundation of God’s word, which should result in love. This love comes from having a pure heart (one that longs for God rather than sin), a clear conscience (as opposed to a guilty conscience because we have sinned), and genuine faith (which is the opposite of doubt).
The problem is that sin can create doubt. Too often, we want to sin, and we hate that the Bible calls the thing we want to do “sin.” So we ignore those parts of the Bible we don’t like, and if we can ignore those parts, then why not ignore the whole thing? Maybe the Bible isn’t true anyway.
Instead of the Holy Spirit using God’s word to lead us to love for others, a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith, our rebellion comes from loving only ourselves, and it leads to an impure heart (one that longs for sin rather than God), a guilty conscience (the Holy Spirit won’t let us alone about it), and doubt. Sin causes doubt.
There’s another catalyst for doubt — our circumstances. This may be the greatest cause of doubt among believers, but I’ll speak about it the least, because it doesn’t require much explanation.
I’m talking about when you pray and pray and pray for something, and it never happens. It feels like God isn’t even hearing you. He certainly isn’t responding.
Times of deep pain can lead us to think God isn’t worth our worship. Why should I give my adoration to a God who would allow this to happen? Thoughts of “Does he care?” can quickly turn to “Is he there?”
Criticism, sin, and pain: three things that can create doubt in our minds.
But here’s the truth: God is real, he loves you, and he is constantly working on your behalf!
Remember Asaph in Psalm 73? He had almost lost his faith. He had come close to throwing in the towel and accepting that wickedness paid. But then he did something. He “went into the sanctuary of God” (v. 17).
Asaph turned to God, and when he did, he could say in verse 28, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Asaph turned to God, and there was suddenly light at the end of his tunnel of doubt.
If you’re in a season of doubt now, take your struggle to God. Then open your Bible and read, meditate on, memorize, and pray this verse:
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
More to come…