It
is a universal experience.
Eyes
closed in prayer, the all too familiar words rolling off her tongue,
but in her heart she wonders if she's just talking to herself...
It's
the middle of Sunday service, he listens as the preacher relates a
popular story from the Bible and cannot help but ask if something
like that really could have happened...
You've
been a faithful Christian for years and, yet, your life is falling
apart. Finally, you begin to question whether God is really there...
Doubt:
“a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or
nature of something”.
Doubts
are a human experience. Everyone, from the youngest babe in Christ to
the oldest saint, has experienced doubts.
Because
of this, knowing how to handle doubts and unanswered questions about
the Faith is necessary for keeping those doubts and questions from
dissolving our faith altogether.
While
it is also critical to know the reasons behind why we believe what we
believe, if we don't know how to live with some measure of
uncertainty, we will never been sure of our faith, left in a
perpetual cycle of spiritual “crisis” until we get the cherished
“answer” to our question, only to repeat the cycle again when
another question surfaces.
Improper
cycle: unanswered
question –> doubt
–> answer
–> renewed
faith –> unanswered
question –> doubt
–> answer
–> renewed
faith > unanswered
question –>....
However,
when we combine our knowledge of the Faith with our ability to
deal with doubts honestly and adequately, our spiritual life will not
be left in stasis until we receive an answer to our question.
So,
what are some of the ways we can deal with doubts?
1.
Be honest. One of the
worst things
you can do when experiencing doubt is to deny
or mentally dissociate
yourself from this normal, human experience.
Firstly,
doubt is nothing to be ashamed about. Great
men and women of God like John the Baptist, Moses, Sarah, Abraham,
and more had doubts.
In
addition, contrary to what our minds may tell us, acknowledging doubt
doesn't lend credence to whatever we're doubting. So, if I'm doubting
that God hears my prayers,
that does not, in fact,
mean God does not hear my
prayers, only that I
am
experiencing some degree of uncertainty about it at
this moment.
Finally, by
being honest about your doubts,
you are in a better place to address them
and seek encouragement from
those have had similar
kinds of doubts.
2.
Talk with God. This
applies even if you are
doubting something related to the existence of God. Talk to Him
anyways. It is important that doubting
does
not halt
the flow of communication between you and God or it may stop
completely.
Your doubts
must
not have veto power over
your walk with Christ.
Furthermore,
when you talk to God, be
specific about whatever you're questioning.
For example: “God, I saw an
Internet video today
claiming
to show the Bible is myth and right now I am really struggling with
whether or not I can trust the Bible”. I also recommend saying your
prayer out loud.
By taking
our questions to the Lord with boldness, we keep insecurity from
festering and open ourselves up to His leading.
3.
Don't not fear.
Allowing
doubts
to send you into panic mode only inhibits
your ability to critically examine the
issue at hand. Keep
a cool head and keep a proper perspective.
4.
Continuing on, Christian
philosopher and theologian Dr. William lane Craig gives these three
great
tips on how Christians can deal with doubts:
A.
Understand that the
primary way we as Christians know our faith to be true is the witness
of God's Holy Spirit,
which gives us a personal, “self-authenticating” basis for
believing in Jesus.
With this in mind, doubts are simply the absence
of answer
in certain instances
of time that, given the time, resources, or understanding, could be
given a proper answer.
Proper
cycle: unanswered
question –> faith
through it all –>
answer/no
answer –>
(increased)
faith –> unanswered
question –> faith
through it all –>
answer/no
answer –>
(increased)
faith –>...
B.
Understand that doubt is
never simply an intellectual problem.
We
face a real enemy who hates us and wants to destroy our faith in God.
We must, then, be on our
guard, be honest about our
questions,
and go to God with them (as discussed above).
C.
Understand that, if only for lack of time, we
will never have all of our questions answered in
this life. Therefore,
“the key to victory in
the Christian life is not having all of our questions answered, but
learning to live with unanswered questions”.
We do this, Dr. Craig says,
by exercising a healthy spiritual life (spiritual disciplines,
prayer, Christian music, Bible reading, sharing your faith,
fellowshipping with other believers, being involved in Christian
service, etc.)
As God becomes more and more of a living
reality in our lives, we prevent unanswered questions from becoming
destructive doubts.
D.
Finally, as you have the opportunity, take a specific question you
have about the faith and “pursue it into the ground” until
you come to intellectual satisfaction. This will surely help to
increase your faith in Christ and help you to encourage the faith of
others, as well.
So,
do you have doubts? Don't sweat it. I have them, you have them, and
they should never mean the end of our faith.
----------------------------------
If
you have a nagging doubt about the Christian faith, a story of
victory over doubt, or another tip for dealing with doubt,
leave it in the comment box below!
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