It's Ok To Doubt With God
Have you ever experienced the unfairness or brokenness of life? A death of a loved one, the return of an illness, the abandonment of family? It’s hard to hold onto faith when your prayers seem to go unanswered, when it seems like God is silent, when it seems like God keeps letting bad things happen. What you might find instead is doubt creeping in. So, what does God have to say about doubt?
In Psalm 88, Heman the Ezrahite cries out to God in a psalm of lament. Usually, a lament psalm begins with cries of distress, but ends with resolution. Not this one. Heman cries out, points his finger to God and blames him for the source of his pain, and it ends with the words, “Darkness is my closest friend.”
Why would God leave this psalm in the Bible? Why wouldn’t God defend Himself to Heman? Maybe it’s because God knows that sincere doubt has a place in sincere faith. There are two lessons from Heman in Psalm 88:
It’s ok to be honest. Questions and doubts are realities of a genuine life of faith, so there is no need to deny them.
It’s ok to be messy. Sometimes faith and doubt clasp hands and walk together in darkness.
What might it look like to be honest and real with God today? What about for when you have people in your life who you love doubting and questioning God? Holding onto a genuine faith begins by being that: genuine with God. Pray the words of the father in Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
DIVE DEEPER
Life can feel overwhelming when loss, illness, or broken relationships leave us wondering where God is. This week’s message takes us deeper into that truth, reminding us that God welcomes honesty and walks with us even when hope feels far away.