Faith When You Have Questions
Questions do not have to destroy faith. God gives enough evidence to trust Him even when every mystery is not yet solved.
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God."
John 7:17Driving through thick fog at night, your headlights only show the next stretch of road, maybe thirty feet. Never the whole route home. And yet nobody pulls over to sleep in the car until the fog lifts. You drive on the light you have, and as you move, more road keeps appearing.
You don't need to see the entire journey to make the next turn. You just need enough light for the next stretch, and that you already have.
Doubt is the fog. Faith isn't waiting for perfect visibility; it's driving on the light you've already got, trusting the road to keep unfolding.
Doubt is normal, the book says so
Right up front: "Many, especially those who are young in the Christian life, are at times troubled with the suggestions of skepticism." If that's you, you're in good company, and you're not broken. God doesn't leave us without reasons: "God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence." But notice the honest limit, "Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration." There's enough to trust; not enough to remove every question. That's on purpose.
Mystery isn't a bug
If God is infinite and you're finite, of course some things won't fully fit in your head, that's just math. Even a blade of grass baffles the best scientists. "The very grandeur and mystery of the themes presented should inspire faith." A God small enough for you to completely explain wouldn't be big enough to be God. Unanswered questions aren't evidence He's fake; they're evidence He's real.
God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith... Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration.
Steps to Christ, chapter 12
Walk toward the light you already have
The most practical line in the chapter is this: "Instead of questioning and caviling concerning that which you do not understand, give heed to the light that already shines upon you, and you will receive greater light." Don't freeze until every question is solved. Act on what is clear, and clarity tends to grow as you walk.
As we draw near to Jesus, and rejoice in the fullness of His love, our doubt and darkness will disappear in the light of His presence.
Steps to Christ, chapter 12
The honest question underneath the question
The book says something bold and worth sitting with: "the real cause of doubt and skepticism, in most cases, is the love of sin." Sometimes doubt really is intellectual. Good questions deserving real answers. But sometimes "doubt" is a convenient exit from a life we don't want to change. Be honest with yourself about which one you're dealing with. And then test God directly: "taste and see that the Lord is good." Experience is evidence too.
Notice you don't demand total understanding anywhere else in life. You can't explain how your phone's chip actually works, but you still text on it. You don't understand the physics of lift, but you still board the plane. "Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration", the same reasonable trust you already give a hundred things a day.
A jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing. A handful of gaps doesn't make you doubt the picture is a mountain. You can already see more than enough to know what it is. Sometimes we let three missing pieces talk us into throwing out a thousand that fit perfectly.
Doubt in a skeptical world
You're growing up in the most question-saturated moment in history. A single scroll can throw a dozen challenges at your faith, delivered by confident strangers who've never met you. Doubt isn't a sign something's wrong with you. It's the water everyone's swimming in.
So here's a healthier way to handle it. Take real questions somewhere real, to God in prayer, to Scripture, to a trusted older believer, not just to a comment section optimized for outrage. Keep obeying the parts you already understand while you work on the parts you don't. Be honest about whether a doubt is a genuine question or a door you're looking for. And remember the promise: doubt and darkness melt not by winning every argument, but by drawing near to Jesus until the light breaks through.
Three questions
- What's one doubt you've been carrying? Have you ever taken it somewhere real, or just let it sit?
- Be honest: is it a genuine question, or partly a way out of something you don't want to change?
- What's a piece of "light you already have" that you could act on today, even mid-doubt?
God, I have questions, and I'm bringing them to You instead of hiding them or letting them run wild. Give me courage to be honest about what's really going on in me. Help me walk toward the light I already have, and trust that as I draw near to You, the clouds will clear.
Next: A Life of Joy
Keep moving through the journey in order. Step 13 builds on what you have just read.
Continue to Step 13