A Crisis of Faith: Discovering Shelter in Times of Doubt 

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I boulder-scrambled behind my husband, Kevin, up a sorry-excuse of a trail. We planned to spend the night on the top of Flat Iron in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. The day had not gone as planned. We had taken several wrong turns. I had brushed against a century plant—a blueish-green agave with razor blade leaves. I figured it couldn’t get worse, a statement one learns never to utter aloud when hiking, because right then, the heavens let loose with soaking rain. We needed shelter. 

Kevin pulled out a small tarp as we hunkered near a pile of boulders. We scrunched ourselves into tiny balls as the rain and wind raged. We were in the middle of a storm with only a thin layer of plastic as our shelter. 

I felt vulnerable and afraid. 

Another Type of Storm: A Crisis of Faith 

There is another storm difficult to weather. A crisis of faith can also leave us feeling alone with the elements. 

Life doesn’t always turn out like we expect and that can be difficult. When a series of events pile on top of each other, a crisis of faith can result. When that happens, we may question God.  

We reason that if He had the power or if He were a God of love, He would have stepped in to prevent something from happening. Instead, we face circumstances we would not have chosen.  

The questions and doubts arise, often at night, when we have nothing else to distract us. The thoughts magnify, disrupting our sleep.  

Are You in a Faith Crisis? 

Are you in such a crisis right now? Is your mind filled with questions wondering where God can be found? Do you have doubts about what you believe? 

Others have faced the same struggles. Let me invite you to sit closer as we spread out a shelter of truth. You are not alone. 

How to Discover Shelter From Your Storm

Borrow Life-Giving Words 

In the middle of a faith crisis, our very language can disperse into the winds. When that happens, it is helpful to borrow the words of others. Reading Scripture, singing a hymn, or reciting prayers of the Church are all places to find the words our brains cannot process in our fear and anxiety.  

Those borrowed words include Psalm 27:5 (AMP): “For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter.” 

Remember God’s Past Goodness 

Taking time to reflect on God’s past faithfulness is always a healthy practice, but especially when doubts assail us. The Bible prompts us repeatedly to remember, including this verse about remembering God in the nighttime:  

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6 NASB). When the psalmist remembers God’s past help, he realizes God is with him, “My soul clings to You; Your right hand takes hold of me” (Psalm 63:8 NASB).  

Step Closer and Come Near 

We tend to take our doubts and step away from God, thinking our questions disqualify us from being people of faith. Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel recommended a different approach: to lean into the questions. 

“My questioning of God goes on,” Wiesel said, “but even from the beginning, I believed in questioning God from inside faith, not from outside faith. It is because I believe that I am all the time questioning.” (Michael Reagan, Inside the Mind of God: Images and Words of Inner Space [West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2002],129.) 

Listen now to a short segment of a meditation from Abide based on Acts 17:27: “This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

The Response of Jesus  

One of Jesus’ closest friends had doubts (John 20:24-29). After the traumatic events that led to Jesus’ death, Thomas struggled to believe when others told him of the Resurrection. When Jesus meets Thomas, He doesn’t turn His back and walk away. Jesus doesn’t tell Thomas to leave His inner circle of friends. Jesus invites him to come closer and look at His hands. To draw near. 

In your own crisis of faith and doubt, you can find shelter. Borrow life-giving words. Remember God’s past goodness. Step closer to your friend, Jesus. Hold His hand. You are not alone. Let Abide help when you’re in need of shelter. Download the app and start a premium subscription. This will give you access to our entire library of content. Use this link for 25% off.

Lynne is the author of Under a Desert Sky: Redefining Hope, Beauty, and Faith in the Hardest Places and a contributing author on multiple books for Guideposts. She and her husband love hiking in the desert near their home in Chandler, Arizona.