Have you ever had doubts about your faith as of a result of tragedy, unanswered prayer, or disillusionment with the church?
Author Philip Yancey in his book, Reaching for the Invisible God, writes, “Doubt is the skeleton in the closet of faith, and I know no better way to treat a skeleton than to bring it into the open and expose it for what it is: not something to hide or fear, but a hard structure on which living tissues may grow.”
It is only human to doubt and grapple with the invisible, non-tangible matters of faith. Yancey states, “Doubt always coexists with faith, for in the presence of certainty who would need faith at all?”
Sometimes our faith is unshakable while other times it is on shaky ground. If you are old enough you might remember playing on a see-saw. One minute you were up and the next one down. Our journey of faith can feel like this at times.
Life impacts our faith. We are excited about the new job then tragedy hits home. We joyfully anticipate the birth of our newborn then we learn the baby is ill.
We make plans for retirement then discover that our spouse has terminal cancer. Many times our faith dangles on a pendulum that swings from belief to unbelief, back to belief.
What do we do in times of doubt and unbelief? Pray! In the gospel story (Mark 9:17-25) the father who brought his tormented son to Jesus for healing, prayed, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.”
Jesus didn’t judge the man; he saw his faith, understood his doubt and healed his son. God’s grace is sufficient in times of doubt.
When in doubt, what is your prayer? Have you ever prayed? “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” I like to hear how you get through your seasons of doubt. Your story can help build the faith of others.
Prayer: Lord, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.
