When Doubt Creeps In: How I Held On to Faith Through Questions

🌑 When Doubt Creeps In: How I Held On to Faith Through Questions

I used to think “real Christians” never doubted. I thought faith meant unshakable certainty—never asking questions, never wondering if God really heard me, never doubting His Word.

But then came the season when doubt slipped in like an uninvited guest.

It didn’t crash through the door. It crept in quietly, through unanswered prayers, through suffering I couldn’t explain, through moments when the Bible felt confusing.

I’d lie awake thinking: What if I’ve believed the wrong thing? What if God isn’t really listening? What if my whole foundation isn’t as solid as I thought?

Maybe you’ve had questions like that too.

If so, I want to tell you my story—not as someone who has “arrived,” but as someone who discovered that doubt doesn’t have to destroy faith. Sometimes it can even deepen it.

🤔 Why Doubt Scares Us So Much

For years, I was terrified of admitting doubt. I thought:

• Doubt makes me a “bad Christian.”
• If I have questions, my faith must not be real.
• God must be disappointed with me.

But here’s the truth I’ve come to see in Scripture: doubt doesn’t scare God.

Thomas doubted. Elijah doubted. Even John the Baptist—who baptized Jesus!—sent word from prison asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3).

Jesus didn’t scold him. He sent reassurance.

📖 What the Bible Says About Doubt

The Bible doesn’t erase doubt. It acknowledges it—and points us toward God in the middle of it.

• Jude 1:22: “Be merciful to those who doubt.” If God tells us to be gentle with doubters, won’t He be gentle with us too?
• Psalm 73:2–3: The psalmist admitted his faith almost slipped when he saw the wicked prosper. Doubt was part of his journey.
• Mark 9:24: The father of a sick boy cried out, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” That prayer perfectly describes the mix of faith and doubt.

🌊 My Season of Doubt

For me, doubt hit hardest when suffering entered the picture. I prayed fervently for healing in someone I loved, but the healing didn’t come.

I remember sitting in my car after the funeral, gripping the steering wheel, whispering through tears: “God, why didn’t You answer? Do You really care?”

It felt like the ground beneath me cracked. The God I thought I knew suddenly seemed distant, even questionable.

But here’s what I discovered: my questions didn’t push God away. They drew me closer—because instead of pretending, I finally came to Him raw, with my doubts laid bare.

🛑 Lies Doubt Whispered to Me

During that time, doubt whispered lies I had to confront:

• “You can’t be a Christian if you have questions.” Truth: Even the apostles wrestled with doubt.
• “Your doubt cancels your faith.” Truth: Faith and doubt often coexist. What matters is where you take your doubts.
• “God is angry at you for questioning Him.” Truth: God invites our questions (see the entire book of Job).

✝️ Jesus and the Doubters

What struck me most in Scripture is how Jesus treated doubters.

When Thomas said he wouldn’t believe unless he touched the wounds, Jesus didn’t shame him. He appeared and said, “Put your finger here; see my hands.” (John 20:27).

Jesus met Thomas in his doubt. And Thomas responded with one of the strongest declarations of faith: “My Lord and my God!”

That moment taught me this: Jesus doesn’t reject doubters. He reveals Himself to them.

🌟 What Sustained Me Through Doubt

Here are some practices that carried me when doubt crept in:

1. Praying honestly. Instead of polished prayers, I said things like: “Lord, I’m struggling to trust You. Meet me here.”
2. Leaning into Scripture. Even when I didn’t “feel” it, I read the Psalms. Their honesty gave me permission to wrestle.
3. Seeking community. Talking with mature believers who had wrestled with their own doubts helped me see I wasn’t alone.
4. Remembering past faithfulness. Looking back at ways God had carried me before reminded me He wouldn’t abandon me now.
5. Waiting in the tension. I learned that answers don’t always come quickly—but God often meets us in the waiting.

🌅 How My Doubt Deepened My Faith

Ironically, my doubts ended up strengthening my faith. Why?

Because when the shallow answers didn’t hold up, I had to dig deeper. I stopped living on borrowed faith from others and began building my own.

I realized faith isn’t about having zero doubts. It’s about trusting God even when questions remain.

Like Jacob wrestling with God, I came out limping but clinging more tightly.

🙏 A Word to You

If you’re wrestling with doubt right now, let me tell you: you are not alone.

Doubt doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love. It may actually be the doorway to a deeper, more authentic faith.

Bring your questions to Jesus. He’s not afraid of them. He welcomes doubters. And just like Thomas, you may find your doubts lead you to declare more boldly than ever: “My Lord and my God!”

🙏 A Prayer for the Doubter

“Father, for the one wrestling with doubt, give them courage to bring their questions to You. Meet them gently, as You did Thomas. Reveal Yourself in ways that draw them closer, not farther. Turn their doubts into deeper faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.”