Uncertainty can be nerve-racking. As humans, we have a tendency to want to be in control and know as much as we can at all times - and when we can鈥檛, we find ourselves stuck in cycles of questions and doubts. The concept of faith is believing in what we can鈥檛 always see, but that doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檙e supposed to go through life never asking hard questions or exploring the doubts we feel when it comes to trusting Jesus.
If you find yourself asking hard questions about faith or experiencing doubts, first of all, know that is completely normal. And second of all, know that it鈥檚 not a bad thing. In this article we鈥檒l explore 3 encouraging truths when it comes to questioning your faith or having doubts as a follower of Jesus.
1. Questioning your faith is not the same as ditching your faith
We spend the first twenty years or so of life learning and growing - and that doesn鈥檛 end when we graduate or move into the workforce. As humans, we鈥檙e always looking for ways to grow and discover. Part of that process means we鈥檙e constantly asking questions about ourselves, and about our faith and relationship with God, as we mature. Just because you鈥檙e asking questions doesn't mean you鈥檙e giving up on faith - in fact, it can be a major part of growing your faith and trust in Jesus even deeper.
2. Giving up on your faith is not the same as giving up on the faith
You don鈥檛 have the same faith now as you had when you were 5 years old. 5-year-old faith is great when you鈥檙e 5, but it would be disappointing for someone your age. As we get older, we grow into more mature faith, and asking questions that you didn鈥檛 feel the need to ask before is exactly what you should be doing. Too often followers of Jesus who have grown up in the faith or who have lived in it for a long time ignore good questions and just recite what they know, going through the motions - and that creates a church full of adults with 5-year-old faith. When you鈥檙e ready to dive deeper into your faith, you may have to give up the shallowness of your old faith in favor of a deeper, richer faith and relationship with God that enables you to experience more of what it means to fully follow Jesus. You can welcome that change and let go of superficial understandings of God - and that鈥檚 an exciting and encouraging place to be.
3. Just because it鈥檚 hard, it doesn鈥檛 mean God isn鈥檛 in it
Wrestling with your faith is hard. It may feel like you鈥檙e the only one asking the questions that you have. You might feel abandoned because the answers that used to satisfy you now annoy you. But the truth is that going deeper into God鈥檚 Word and into your faith isn鈥檛 meant to be easy when it鈥檚 real. God isn鈥檛 interested in comfort and catchy phrases - he works through difficulty, in the hard times and in the good ones. Don鈥檛 assume that because what you鈥檙e experiencing now feels tough in regards to your faith, that God isn鈥檛 in it. Push through the difficulty with a desire to see God even clearer on the other side. That is when your faith will begin to grow the most.
Searching and questioning and doubting can be an invitation to seek God - and seeking is one of the best ways to deepen your faith. Intentionally seeking God doesn鈥檛 have to be a big or intimidating process - in fact, you can intentionally seek God in the following ways:
- Ask Jesus to help (Mark 9.21-24)
- Admit what you don鈥檛 know (Isaiah 55)
- Remember what you do know (Ephesians 2.1-10)
- Look for Answers (John 20.24-29)
- Keep Asking Questions (Judges 6.36-40)
And the best news is that when you are truly seeking, he promises that you will find him. Below are just a few verses that you can cling to when you鈥檙e seeking and searching:
You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and all your soul. - Deuteronomy 4.29
Those who seek me find me. - Proverbs 8.17
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. - Jeremiah 29.13
Ask and it will be given to you; Seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened to you. - Matthew 7.7
If you truly want to start seeking, sign up for a Group around exploring faith - doubting can be lonely, but seeking is done best in a group of people who are in a similar spot.
If you do have questions or doubts and you鈥檙e not sure where to turn or where to start, we would simply love to talk with you. Start the conversation by contacting us - no matter what you鈥檙e thinking or feeling, what you鈥檙e questioning, or what doubts you鈥檙e having, we鈥檙e here to help.