Raw Prayers: Praying Through Our DoubtНамуна

WHY, GOD?

“My steps had nearly slipped,” the psalmist writes. Have you ever felt like that? Not literally slipping around on the ice, but something happens, or someone asks questions, and suddenly you’re not sure that your faith is on quite the solid footing that you thought it was. Deconstruction is a trending cultural movement among Christians today, many of those speaking out about it were once high-profile influencers in the Church. Now, they’re turning away, allowing their unanswered questions and doubts to tear down the faith and the values they once stood for. But is that the right response? Is doubt so serious that it inevitably leads to a loss of faith? Rather than google it, let’s spend a few days digging into God’s words. Let’s see what He has to say about doubts.

The first step to walking through doubt is to understand where it comes from. In Psalm 73:1-15, Asaph reveals that he has been reflecting on the injustice he sees around him, especially among the wealthy and wicked. He found himself disgusted and overwhelmed to the point that his “feet had almost stumbled.” Asaph struggled to understand why his God- the holy God of justice and compassion for the poor and faithful- could allow these terrible people to flaunt their wealth, corrupt the nation, and openly despise the Lord. Can you relate to Asaph? In the face of evil and tragedy, have you ever found yourself asking, “Why, God?”

You are not alone in these feelings and questions! Doubt happens when your experience contradicts what your mind believes. Your heart can’t process what your eyes are seeing. You believe that God is good, but your experience tells you that no good God could allow what you are experiencing to happen. This is precisely what was happening to Asaph, and from his psalm, we can learn to pray through our doubts.

Ask Yourself:

-What causes you to ask, “Why, God?”

-Do you generally turn a blind eye to doubt, or do you question everything? How could either of these postures be harmful if taken to the extreme?

Pause to pray through your doubt: God, I believe you are good. But I also see this stuff happening around me, and it is far from good. I’m struggling with this… I want to trust you… I want you to fix it… I want to understand… Over the next few days, help me pray through my doubts… Amen.

Take a Next Step: Praying through your doubts and questions will be challenging because our gut reaction is generally to turn away from God rather than to Him when we’re confused or frustrated. In order to be raw and honest with Him, take time to write down the doubts that swirl around in your mind. Don’t be afraid- He is a big God! He can handle it!