Admit Your Doubts

We all have doubts. Doubt is a normal part of the Christian life, even for pastors. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed” (GNT).

According to Paul, doubt doesn’t have to defeat you. Many of the most significant leaders in the Bible struggled through periods of doubt. 

The great Old Testament prophet Elijah certainly faced it. We often forget about Elijah’s struggles with doubt. We remember the great triumphs of his ministry, such as his confrontation with Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. But remember Elijah’s experience in the very next chapter, once he gets a death threat from Queen Jezebel? Elijah didn’t respond with the faith we saw just a chapter earlier. Instead, he told God he wanted to die. 

Elijah looked around and doubted whether anyone was following him. He doubted himself and what God could do through him: “Elijah replied, ‘I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too’” (1 Kings 19:10 NLT). 

The Nature of Doubt

Elijah’s feelings of doubt are ones that many of us in ministry experience. You might feel ashamed of your doubts—but doubt is a natural part of spiritual development, and it’s not the same as unbelief.

Unbelief is when you know exactly what God wants to do—and you choose to do something else. The Bible is clear that unbelief is sin.

But doubt is different. Doubt is when you honestly don’t know what God wants you to do. You may not even know how to pray about it.

Some of the most profound demonstrations of faith in the Bible came after seasons of doubt. Never forget David crying out that God had abandoned him (Psalm 22:1) or Job asking God questions like, “Are you sure you really love me? Are you sure you know what’s going on?”

Why It’s Important to Admit Your Doubts

Elijah, David, and Job have something else in common. They didn’t try to hide their doubts from God. They were honest about them.

Unless you can admit your doubts, you can’t overcome them. I know many pastors who are intimidated by their doubts. When doubt creeps in, they begin thinking, “What if someone discovers my doubts? Will God still use me in ministry? Will God even love me if I doubt him?”

But over and over in Scripture, God shows us that he loves us—and can use us—even when we doubt. 

Pastor, when you are doubting God, the correct response isn’t to grin and bear it. Pious platitudes won’t help you. Fake it until you make it doesn’t work with God. 

Instead, more than anything else, God wants you to be honest. Tell him about your struggles. 

If you’re a parent, you understand the dynamic. When my kids were young, they would doubt my judgment at times. They knew I loved them. They knew I had more years of experience than them. But sometimes they doubted what I told them. I always preferred to have an honest conversation with them about their doubts; I didn’t want them to keep their doubts stuffed inside.

God wants you to come to him with your doubts too. Lamentation 2:19 says it like this: “Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord” (NLT).

God is ready for all your doubts.

How God Responds to Your Doubts

If you’re still afraid of how God will respond to your doubt, look at how Jesus responded to doubt. 

A classic example of doubt is the apostle Thomas’s doubt after Jesus’ resurrection. Thomas missed the first appearance of Jesus after the resurrection and said to the other disciples, “Unless I see . . . I will not believe” (John 20:25 GNT).

When Jesus saw Thomas—and knew that Thomas had doubted—do you remember how Jesus responded? He didn’t scold Thomas. He didn’t criticize him. Instead, he opened his arms in love.

That’s what God will do for you when you’re honest about your doubts. 

You can trust your doubts to God.