Questions on Doubt

Pastor Emma Delacourt

Have you ever been told not to ask so many questions?

Maybe you’ve felt annoying or guilty for asking questions — especially when it comes to your faith?

On a scale from 1-10, how often do you have questions or doubts about God?

Are you able to share your questions with anyone? If not, what is preventing you from sharing?

For some of us, we don’t want to share because we are afraid it’s going to look like we don’t have faith/believe in God.

You are not alone in your doubt
Psalm 88: 9 -14
9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you? 11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction ? 12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? 13 But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14 Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?

Psalm 22: 1- 8
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

Doubts and questions take many forms - so when our doesn’t look like someone else we start to doubt we are doing what God called us to and get confused, but we can all be on different paths.

We won’t always get our questions answered - that’s what faith is

How many of us have felt doubt because we asked for something and God didn’t give it to us?

We can learn about this in the book of Job:
*Bible project video: 3:04-5:21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GswSg2ohqmA
Doubt helps us grow closer to God – if we allow it.
How many of us have felt doubt because we asked for something and God didn’t give it to us?

Did you actually take the time to see and listen to why God wasn’t giving you exactly what you wanted?

Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Faith isn’t about uncritically listening and accepting what someone tells you. Faith is continuing to search for God in the midst of our questions.