A Prayer for Overcoming Doubts and Embracing Faith

　　By Emma Danzey

　　“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” - James 1:6

　　Doubt causes us to feel unsteady and shoved around by questions from ourselves and others. It can feel suffocating when we wrestle with constant disbelief. Whether we are in college with professors who chastise us for having faith in Christ and the Bible, working with co-workers who question our beliefs or are going through a trial season, doubts are natural and come to us in this broken world.

　　When we think back to the first sin of mankind, the serpent caused Eve to doubt her Creator God. Satan said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b) A lie that is planted in our thoughts without taking it to the Lord can lead to doubt if we are not careful. Eve could have gone to Adam, who was with her, or she could have gone straight to God to ask Him about it before making her decision. However, she chose to trust the lie and buy into the doubts. How many of our own decisions could be different if we took a pause to ask the Holy Spirit about it?

　　The Lord is not angry with us if we have doubts, He invites us to bring them to Him. He wants to hear our concerns, questions, and fears. In turn, He desires to provide great faith to us by His Spirit. Whether it is a big doubt or a small doubt, we can bring our thoughts to Him. It is better to acknowledge a doubt than to let it sit unnoticed.

　　Today as we pray about overcoming our doubts and embracing faith, may we remember that Christ cares about our every concern. He loves us and He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine by His power. Let us believe Him at His Word today.

　　Let's pray:

　　Dear Lord,

　　Today, we recognize that we struggle just like Eve with questioning who You are and what You have said. I acknowledge personally that today I have doubts about ___________________. You have better for me than to live in a state of being frozen in uncertainty. Help me to overcome these doubts and embrace faith. You tell us in Your Word that faith can move a mountain. (Matthew 17:20) You teach us that faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26) You remind us that faith is a fruit of the Spirit that we all have access to through Jesus. (Galatians 5:22-23) Help us to lean not on our understanding but to trust in You, knowing that You will make our paths straight.

　　Doubt holds us back and we realize that you want to propel us forward, but we need to pause and come to You with our questions. Forgive us for not coming to You when we wrestle or struggle. Our hearts long to be connected with You and strengthened by You. However, our fears and doubts hold us back from living the lives of confidence and peace that You desire for us. We confess that living in our doubts can be easier and more appealing than doing the work of pouring our hearts out to You and depending on You instead of our own strength. Remind us of Your great power. Cast out all fear, open our eyes to blind spots, and reveal the truth with Your Word. We know that You are trustworthy, capable, sovereign, and personal. You care for our every need. You know our every doubt. Nothing surprises you. Help us to truly believe You.

　　Thank You for reminding us that we are more than conquerors through You (Romans 8:31-39). When the enemy wants us to feel too far gone or too doubtful to be used for the glory of God, may we remember that You came and died for our doubts so that we could live in freedom. Help us to remember that Thomas, who doubted, was one of Your disciples and closest friends, and he followed You in the midst of his doubts. We, too, can live out faith by Your power, even when we do not have it in ourselves.

　　In full confidence in Your name, we pray Jesus, Amen.