Faith mixed with doubt

Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him. – Psalm 42:11

When my close friend Sharon was killed in a car accident, my heart broke. I’m ashamed to admit it, but when life’s circumstances hurt so much, my faith is often mixed with doubt. When Sharon died, I cried out to God with these questions:

Lord, I sure don’t understand You. Why did You allow this death?

"Have you not heard? The everlasting God . . . neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable" (Isaiah 40:28). "My thoughts are not Your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways" (Isaiah 55:8).

Lord, You are beyond my understanding. But I still wonder, have You turned Your back on the world?

"God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 47:8) and "rules by His power forever" (66:7).

Lord, I do believe You are ruling this world, but do You care about the pain? Have You forgotten to be good?

I am "good and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon [Me]" (Psalm 86:5).

Yes, Lord, You have been good to me in countless ways including listening to my doubts and questions about You.

The answers God gives us in His Word may not take away our sadness, but we can always rest in the truth that He is wise, sovereign, and good. – Anne Cetas

God understands your heartache,

He knows the bitter pain;

O trust Him in the darkness,

You cannot trust in vain. – Smith

READ: Psalm 42

Every loss leaves an empty space that only God’s presence can fill.

The Bible in one year:

• Psalms 137-139

• 1 Corinthians 13