How to Respond When Facing a Crisis of Belief

Sooner or later, every Christ follower faces a crisis of belief. That’s when circumstances call our deeply held beliefs about God into question. For instance…

• A child dies, and we question our belief that says God is good and loving. 
• We pray and pray and pray for a prodigal without seeing change, and we question our belief that says God hears and answers our cries for help. 
• We struggle with chronic pain, and we question our belief that says God is a healer.
• We suffer the loss of home and material possessions in a natural disaster, and we question our belief that says God provides for our needs.

The list goes on. Our circumstances look different from one another’s, but we ask many of the same questions.

The questions we ask in a crisis of belief

When God seems silent, it’s not uncommon for us to ask, “Where are You?”

As we watch others receive the blessings we long to receive, we might ask, “Have You forgotten about me?” 

If you’ve pursued your God-given call with no sign of results, you might ask, “When will You fulfill Your promise that a life wholly committed to You will bear fruit?”

The questions are many and varied, and it’s okay to voice our questions, but let’s be cautious about how we respond to them. I recently listened to a podcast by Pastor Rick Warren. He said that, amid difficult circumstances, we often doubt our beliefs and believe our doubts. Doing so leads us down a path that leads to despair and defeat.

Warren says to turn things around: Doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs. In other words, ask the question, go to God’s Word for the answer, and hold fast to its truth.

My crisis of belief

I experienced a crisis of belief when I sensed God calling me to write for publication. I felt like Moses may have felt when God appointed him to lead the Israelites from captivity:

"So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:10-11)

“Who, me?” I asked. “Perhaps You’re confusing me with someone else. I can’t do that.”

Obeying God’s nudge would push me far outside my comfort zone, and I questioned my belief that says He equips us to fulfill His call on our lives. (Hebrews 13:20-21) If I’d believed my doubts, I would never have left home to attend my first writers conference, and you wouldn’t be reading this blog today. However, I chose to believe my beliefs and follow His lead.

Did that mean my fear disappeared? No. My fear of driving alone from Quadra Island, BC to Seattle, WA, catching a flight across the continent, and attending a conference where I didn’t know a soul was very real, but I went anyway because I believed my belief that God was with me. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Hold onto these truths when facing a crisis of belief

When your deeply held beliefs about God waver, rest assured they cannot change the truth about who He is. Dig into God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal spiritual truths to embrace. Here are five for starters:

God’s love for you will not waver.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

God’s presence with you will never disappear.

“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

God’s purpose to bring beauty from ashes will not fail.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)

God’s promise to forgive you will never change.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God’s pledge to wipe away our tears will never falter.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Facing a crisis of belief doesn’t mean you’re a weak Christian. Every follower of Jesus deals with them at some point in their faith journey. God uses them to shape our character to become more like Christ, and, if we hold onto the Truth, we will grow in our understanding of who He is and our relationship with Him will grow deeper and sweeter. 

Hold onto hope, my friend. And hold fast to the Truth to stand steadfast in faith.