Have you ever had times when you wonder if this whole Christianity thing is true? Where do you turn at those times? Even those who have been Christians most of their life may have periods of doubt, particularly during times of suffering. John the Baptist wondered if he’d gotten it all wrong (Luke 7:20), and the disciples all fled when Jesus was arrested (Matt. 26:56) even though they had all seen Jesus in the flesh, performing miraculous signs. The Apostle Paul also had to correct some lies that were being circulated among the churches and causing people to doubt (2 Tim. 2:18). It’s not surprising then that two millennia later we may wonder if we’ve wandered down a dead-end road.
One place that I’ve turned at such times is the historicity of the Bible. Josh McDowell started out trying to disprove the Bible and instead ended up convincing himself of the truth of Christianity. Others have had a similar experience. I believe there is sufficient evidence to prove the validity of the text. And because I believe the Bible is a true and reliable document, I believe there is a God who created the world and has provided the Bible to explain who He is, why we are here, and what we are supposed to believe.
Since that is the case, then we should also believe the promises that God has made in His Word to those who follow Him. If I’m honest, that may be the hardest part to accept when life is difficult. It’s one thing to believe that there is a sovereign God, but something bigger to believe that He is personally interested and invested in each individual person. It’s easier to picture God as the Creator, a powerful being who is in charge of nations, societies, and worlds, but perhaps doesn’t pay much attention to little ol’ me. But the Bible says He does, and I believe the Bible is His Word, so it must be true.
So the question then is what to do with that information. The Psalms are a good place to turn, because they give a wide variety of examples of people who turned to God in their times of suffering, doubt, confusion, and anger, and also in times of joy, peace, celebration, and blessing. In essence, God Himself provided words we can use to speak to Him and to hear from Him in all kinds of circumstances. When we don’t have words of our own, we can use Scripture’s own words. And when we don’t feel able to do even that much, we can trust that God already knows what we’re thinking (Psalm 139:2) and what we need (Matt. 6:8), and we even have the Spirit interceding on our behalf (Rom. 8:26-27).
For the true Christian, although doubts may come, God will not let them remain. We will find ourselves drawn back to Him again and again, because even our faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8).
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:14-15).
© 2023 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
