Dealing with doubt is not unusual. Most Christians experience doubt. Some rarely, others more frequently. š¤
In either case, their doubt may concern Godās existence (e.g. is there a God?), Godās character (e.g. Is God really good?), a specific Christian doctrine (e.g. hell), or the viability of a specific Christian practice (e.g. healing prayer).
Extreme Church Positions on Doubt
While doubt is not unusual it should be taken seriously. Unfortunately, some Christian communities take extreme positions on doubt.
One extreme position is to be flippant and dismissive of doubts, āOh well, everyone has doubts, who cares, keep calm and carry on.ā This attitude may be appropriate for occasional Ā doubts that pass through our minds and hearts.
However, this attitude is inappropriate for regularly reoccurring doubts. Another extreme position on doubt is to view it as a sign of sin and unworthiness. āIf you doubt, itās because your faith is weak.ā š
With churches that learn toward the first response, people with doubts often experience a gradual diminishment of their faith. Their church does not stress the importance of faith, belief, and dealing with doubt, so peoples doubts are left unaddressed.
With churches that lean toward the second response people often feel pushed away from faith. They often leave their churches because they cannot find a safe space to explore their doubts with other believers.
A Joke about Doubt
(Ok. Forgive me. I must include this old joke about doubt. To have a chance of getting it you must know the most basic facts about Rene Descartes. Descartes was a 17th century philosopher.
He used doubt as a method to determine what was true and what was false. His famous saying, as rendered in Latin is, āCogito ergo sumā. In English, āI think, therefore I am.ā Let us not bother with the pros and cons of this method, instead letās get straight to the joke.
Rene Descartes walks into a bar. The barkeep says, āRene, would you like a beer?ā Descartes pause and says, āI think not.ā Then he disappears.š Ha!)
Here are five ways to persist in faith while dealing with doubt.
1. Pray about your doubts:
Tell God about them, āLord, Iām struggling with this issue. ” āGod help me to understand. When I canāt understand, help me to trust you anyway.ā
Prayer can release a spiritual power in your life that can sustain you even in the darkest moments of doubt. Along with your prayers, make sure others are praying for you in general, and specifically, about your doubts.
šŖ Super Tip: Yes, pray about your doubts. But pray about more than just your doubts. Each day give thanks to God for all the blessings in your life. Each day pray for the people in your life.
2. Think through your doubts:
Work through your doubts by developing a mature, well thought out faith. There are many Christian scientists, philosophers, and theologians who have worked through every single intellectual issue you could think of.
Read these authors. Do the mental work. Ask the tough questions. Donāt just feel your faith, think your faith. Find safe believers to discuss and work through your doubts with. This can be very helpful. Ā
šŖSuper Tip: Be encouraged that over the centuries to the present day many of the worldās greatest minds have wrestled with the claims of the Christian faith, emerging as committed followers of Jesus Christ.
3. Feel through your doubts:
If you went through a tragedy that has caused you to doubt the existence of a loving God work through your feelings.Ā Offer them to God in prayer. Read or listen to the stories of other Christians who have suffered greatly and how they worked through their pain and found their faith restored.
Hearts can be healed. Sometimes working with a pastor, counselor, or spiritual director over a period of time is what is needed to feel through your doubts. Ā
šŖSuper Tip: Be encouraged that some of the worldās greatest sufferers, those who have gone through lifeās worst, emerged from their trials with a deeper and more robust faith.
4. Doubt your doubts:
You do not Ā have to believe every thought that comes into your mind. See old Reneās method has something to it! Doubt your doubts, reaffirm your core beliefs. You can do that with these timeless words a man said to Jesus over 2000 years ago:
āLord I believe help my unbelief!ā
Mark 9:25
It is a great affirmation. It can also be a great prayer. Use it as needed. Pray it as needed, even aloud.
šŖSuper Tip: The infinite (God) can, at best, be only partially understood by the finite (you). Put your trust in God. Yes, think your faith, but at the end of the day you have to live your faith.
5. Feed your faith, not your doubts:
Too often when people begin to experience doubt, they stop feeding their faith and start feeding their doubt. Always put as much effort into your faith as you do your doubt.
This means keep worshipping (or perhaps getting back to worshipping) on Sundays, staying connected to other Christians, and practicing your faith daily. Finally, eat lots of ice cream. (Just making sure you were paying attention there. š¦)
šŖSuper Tip: Do not travel the tough stuff of life alone. Allow others to walk with you. Seek others out. Yes, it can be hard, but so many of lifeās blessings are found in community with others.
Dealing with Doubt Can Lead To Spiritual Growth
Professor William Barclay, one of the great Bible teachers of the last century, wrote:
āThere is more ultimate faith in the man who insists on being sure than the man who glibly repeats things which he has never thought out, and which he does not really believe. It is doubt like that which in the end arrives at certainty. If a man fights his way through his doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, he has attained to a certainty that the man who unthinkingly accepts can never reach.ā
Dealing with doubt is often what fuels us to learn more about our faith. It often prompts us to develop our understanding of our faith in new ways.
Doubt is often what causes us to take what we may have learned as children (or never learned) and do some adult level homework, leading us to develop a more mature, more reasoned faith.
Doubt Can Keep Faith Awake and Moving
Frederick Buechner, theologian, author, and novelist tells us that:
āDoubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.ā
When you experience doubt, do not assume it is a bad thing. See it as an opportunity to take your faith to the next level. Do not ignore your doubts but do not beat yourself because of your doubts, either.
Instead, pray about your doubts, think through your doubts, feel through your doubts, doubt your doubts, and feed your faith, not your doubts. Most importantly, do not face your doubts alone. Share them and work through them with other Christians. Ā Persist in faith! šš¼
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Bad joke. lol. I think I am lucky enough to have never or very very rarely ever experienced doubt. For me it is like the little fish swimming around and meets up with a bigger fish as asks the big fish where the ocean is. The big fish says you are swimming in it. T think I would experience spiritual suffocation if I felt doubt.
I feel that God is in all things and all things is like a giant bead jar, indescribably huge, and that all the different beads are all the different aspects of God. With wonder, fascination , questioning authority, long periods of nonchalance but never not experiencing God. In that, I feel comfort. Hard to explain.
Ellen, you are most blessed. The Bible speaks of a gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9). I have met several people who evidence this gift or this posture toward faith. Individuals with this gift can hear all the arguments against God, given by the most highly educated and persuasive speakers and be unmoved. They will remain in faith. It doesn’t shake them. For many other Christians hearing such arguments will cause them to pause, to question, or at least to wonder.
For many believers they will say something like, “Well, yes, I see the intellectual problem there and while I can’t solve it, I serve the One who understands and I continue to experience God, so that is good enough for me.” Then there are others who will not come to faith or will not give themselves deeply to their faith unless their questions and doubts are taken seriously. Those with the gift of faith can be a great support and encouragement to those who doubt.
Likewise, those who doubt can help those with the gift of faith to think through their faith more carefully, helping them to develop the ability to give a “reason for the hope that is within them” (1 Peter 3:15). Thanks for your comments.
I was saying TY for addressing our doubts especially in our times of Covid 19 ! It lead me to pray on that very subject in Bible Class and to read Matthew 11, 20 – 30 where Jesus rebuked the towns where he did his mighty works and they did not repent. . . Today, I think at least, Jesus is asking for repentance and He alone offers us rest. in verses 28, 29, and 30 Jesus tells us , ” Come to me . . . ” , ” Ye shall have rest for your souls . . . ” Isn’t that what we all want ? ” Come to me . . . ” Haunting words. If we but listen . . . How He loves us so ! . .
We surely must realize especially having just gone through this second Eastertide of the pandemic !. TY Fr. Goodrich. You are always so inspiring to encourage us to seek Christ š
Gerry, Thank you for your encouragement. Matthew 11:28-30 is a powerful verse:
āCome to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is lightā (NRSV).
I think you are right that all of us desire a place of rest, someone to share the burdens that weigh us down with. Even when we carry the burden of doubt, if we can manage just the smallest step of faith, and trust Christ, we can be strengthened to continue on our way.
I became a Christian as an adult. I had many doubts about what to believe and for at least ten years attended church sporadically. Then one day, when I was thinking about the Virgin Birth, of all things, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Why not?” My whole world was turned upside down.
Shortly after this happened, I was blessed with a vision during a church service (while Psalm 139 was being read) and again my world was upended. The Holy Spirit “told” me in no uncertain terms that, I, undeserving and doubtful, was loved by God.
I no longer have doubt about my faith, but try not to be complacent about this. I try to pray for others on a daily basis and do daily devotions. This habit has helped sustain me during a year of not being able to attend church.
Dawn Upham
Hi Dawn, I think many people can relate to your experience of doubt. I also think many people have had a spiritual experience that helped to confirm their faith in God. For some this kind of experience is a strong antidote to doubt.
For others, this kind of experience does not resolve all of their issues with doubt, but becomes a “marker in the ground” and a source of encouragement to lean on even when doubt raises its head.
Maintaining a daily prayer practice is important for all of us in our journeys of faith. I think of a daily practice of prayer and/or devotions as a “basic lifeline” of faith. Thank you for your comments and sharing more about your story.
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Thank you so much for this article. It is truly helpful and encouraging. Itās so painful when you have very strong faith but seeds of doubt, or difficult questions, come to mind. I believe you when you write that working through these doubts can make our faith even stronger. I never thought of it like that before, that touched my heart and eased some of the pain I felt for working through this. A lot of people, who donāt understand like you do, seem to think those of us who have doubts, or questions donāt have strong faith, but Iād hope itās the opposite. If we can fight for our faith, loving God and longing to understand and grow closer to him, in the midst of confusion, I think we have very strong faith. It can be easier to walk in faith when you never have a doubt, but when you have confusion, and donāt give upā¦ I think and hope thatās a testament to the true love we feel for God and of deep and our sincere commitment to Him. Again, thank you. I feel very encouraged by your article and appreciate it so much.