Reasonable DoubtIhe Atụ

Depending on your upbringing or the religious circles you find yourself in, expressing doubts about God or faith in general could cause uproar. Perhaps the sentiment comes from the statement, “Don’t question God.” While I understand the sentiments of this statement, I want to assure you that it's okay to have doubts. God isn’t afraid of your questions or doubts, and they can actually lead to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.

Let me begin by encouraging you that you are not alone if you have doubts and questions. Consider the following research statistics highlighting religious doubt. A national survey found that 72% of religious individuals’ faith contains doubt (Smith 1998). Among religious Millennials, Smith and Snell found 52% in mainline Protestant churches, 46% in conservative Protestant churches, and 34% in Black Protestant churches confess having ‘some too many’ doubts (Smith and Snell, 2009). As you can see, religious doubt is a phenomenon that is not unique amongst believers.

I would even go a step further to suggest that almost everyone in the Bible whom God chose to use had doubts or questions for Him at some point in time. Let’s look at Moses, who doubted his ability to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Or consider Gideon, who questioned God's plan for him. Even John the Baptist, while in prison, sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. These are just a few examples of how doubt and questions are not only expected but can lead to a deeper understanding of God's plan. For those who would say, “Was Moses or Gideon doubting God or themselves?” I would suggest that doubting his selection for an assignment is doubting God and His sovereignty.

Nonetheless, through this devotional, I intended to show you how not all doubt is created equal and that there is some doubt that is reasonable. In this context, reasonable doubt refers to a healthy skepticism that leads to a deeper understanding of God and His ways. It is in this reasonable doubt that we draw closer to God. Like Moses, we can go from doubting and questioning to an intimate relationship with God.