In some ways, doubt is one of the best tools for growth—it can inspire investigation, research, and careful consideration. As such, doubt isn’t something to be afraid of, but something to embrace with careful guidance and intentional boundaries.
For the past 2000 years, people have been doubting Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for us. After all, how could a person be expected and willing to die for other people? And if God is so good that He’ll make such a big sacrifice, why do bad things still happen to “good people”?
Some questions we cannot answer, beyond trusting in God’s ultimate goodness and justice. But other questions, we have definite answers to. I wrote these rambling thoughts and truths lately for a friend who is working through doubts about grace, prayer, and depression.
As Christians, each one of us is a forgiven sinner. If never sinning again was the result of being saved, there wouldn’t be any Christians. Our sin natures make sure of that.
BUT we have an advocate in Jesus—when Satan brings our sins before God the Father, maybe saying, “Look at the wrong thing she did,” Jesus Christ intercedes for us. He might say something like, “Yes, she did those things, but she is my child. I paid the price on the cross for the sins that she struggles with. She will not be held accountable for that.”
That is the beauty of salvation—we are saved by grace, not because of the good things we do, or the bad things we don’t do. Grace means that God has given us a gift in salvation, and once we accept it, we’re His children for eternity.
The Bible intentionally calls us children of God. What is meant to be the most steadfast, influential human relationship—a Father with his children—illustrates God’s relationship with us once we are born again. God as our Father does not—will not—ever abandon us. We belong permanently to Him.
Because of God’s unconditional love for us, we know with certainty that God wants to hear every prayer that we pray, no matter what it’s for. There is no such thing as a prayer that is too small or too insignificant for us to bring to God, even for something like depression.
For people who do not struggle with depression, it’s really hard to understand what a constant battle it is. But we know with certainty that God doesn’t cut off His children who struggle with depression, because there are so many people in the Bible who dealt with it—sometimes well, sometimes poorly—but God didn’t forsake them. Two of the major ones are Elijah, in 1 Kings 18 and 19, and David, all through the Psalms (Psalm 6, 10, 38, and 42 are just a few examples).
God considered Elijah such a righteous man that he raptured him (2 Kings 2:1, 11-12)—he didn’t die! And David is called a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). And yet, they both still fought feelings of the deepest depression and hopelessness.
God doesn’t turn His back on us when we are struggling, even if it feels like it. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), even when we are in the middle of dark times.
I know that this doesn’t automatically fix everything, but it’s helpful for me to remember that as hopeless as I may feel, I am never truly alone.