Reminders: Doubt or Disbelief?
by Ardith Hoff
Is it okay to have doubts about God? In fact, it is not unusual for people to have doubts, especially when we are feeling vulnerable and insecure. When we don’t feel worthy of God’s love, and when things aren’t going well, it is easy to wonder if God has abandoned us, or if He was ever there at all. Even Christ, on the cross, uttered, “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46 The question is, does God abandon us, or do we just need a reminder that God is always with us and can help us conquer our doubts?
In the story in Mark, (chapter 9) when Jesus was about to cast an evil spirit out of a boy, He told the boy’s father, that if you believe, “everything is possible.” In verse 24 it says, “Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” In other words, the father had faith, and at the same time doubts. Jesus cast out the evil spirit. And when the disciples, asked Jesus why they had not been able to cure the boy, Jesus said, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
Jesus was saying that it was the father’s humble and sincere prayer that had allowed the miracle to take place. By admitting that he was not sure his faith was strong enough, and asking for God’s help, the father had actually demonstrated that he did have faith that God could strengthen his faith. If we have doubts, we too can ask God to help us through whatever crisis of faith we are going through. He humbles us, and when we need Him most, God asks us to trust Him. When we are at our lowest, God’s love can come in. When we ask Him for strength, we will feel his power and grace, and He can heal and restore us.
Even the Psalmist David felt abandoned by God. In Psalm 142:4 he said, “Look at my right hand and see there is no one who takes notice of me; no one to care for me.” But he goes on to pray for God’s help and turns his doubts over to God. God does not abandon us! Even when we have doubts, He has promised to always be there for us.