How to Live by Faith While Having Doubts

Having doubts doesn’t mean you don’t have faith, in the same way that having fear doesn’t mean you aren’t courageous.

What?!? You can’t be courageous and fearful at the same time, can you?

Yes, absolutely you can. Having courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. In fact, the brave person and the coward both feel the same amount of fear. Neither one feels brave.

So what’s the difference between them? The coward lets the fear dictate his actions, while the brave person does not. The brave person acts bravely in spite of the fear.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is not letting the fear control you. (I have a post on “3 Great Ways to Hack Your Fear” here.)

As bravery is to fear, so faith is to doubts.

What?!? You can’t be faithful and doubt at the same time, can you?

Yes, absolutely you can. Having faith doesn’t mean you don’t have doubts. In fact, the faithful and the faithless both can have the exact same doubts. Neither one feels like God’s man of faith and power.

So what’s the difference between them? The faithless one lets the doubts dictate his actions, while the faithful one does not. The faithful person acts in faith in spite of his doubts.

Faith is not the absence of doubts. Faith is not letting the doubts control you.

Oh yeah?!? Well, what about James 1:6-8, huh? It sure sounds like God’s not a fan of doubts!

When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James 1:6-8

This passage is talking about hedging your bets. It’s about praying for something, just in case that actually works, but inwardly not allowing yourself to really believe God will do it. That way, we spare ourselves the disappointment, and the embarrassment, if God doesn’t come through. James is saying to not let your head talk your heart out of its faith.

Don’t let your head talk your heart out of its faith.

If you don’t think faith and doubts can be held at the same time, read the Psalms!

Look at Psalm 13:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:1-2

David isn’t exactly starting out like God’s man of faith and power here. But look at where he ends up:

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6

“I trust …” He’s making a choice to believe God in spite of his doubts.

Or look at Psalm 77. The writer, King David’s chief musician Asaph, expresses some major league doubts:

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. ……… Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

Psalm 77:1-4,7-9

But then he chooses to turn his thoughts toward the Lord, choosing to believe in spite of his doubts:

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?

Psalm 77:11-13

Once again, the psalmist is choosing to believe in spite of his doubts.

Yes, in a perfect world, we’d never have doubts. But we all know this is not a perfect world, far from it. In fact, that’s the whole reason Jesus went to the cross. Because, no, this is not a perfect world.

And we’re not perfect people. The reality is, we do have doubts. But we can choose to act in faith in spite of our doubts.

So in those times of doubt: Does God even hear me? And if he does, does he even care? Is he even real? In those painful times, when you long for God but feel nothing, and you choose to pray in faith anyway, he feels everything!

Because maybe, just maybe, it’s not all about us. Maybe it’s about blessing his heart. And he always turns that around to bless ours. Eventually.

Your Turn

Does this resonate? Can you share a time when you had doubts, chose faith anyway, and saw God show up in the middle of it? Or maybe you acted in faith, but a bad thing still happened. Let’s talk about that too. Testifying with your life that God is good, in the middle of bad things happening, is powerful faith. Share your story with us. And please share this post if it would bless others.