It usually starts small. A prayer that goes unanswered. A sermon that doesn’t sit right. A moment when the words in your Bible feel more distant than divine. Maybe you were the eager kid in youth group who always had the right answers, or the young adult who led Bible studies with confidence. But somewhere along the way, the certainty faded. You started asking questions that didn’t have easy answers. And instead of finding clarity, you found silence.
Faith is supposed to be simple, right? A clear-cut path of belief, trust, and certainty. At least, that’s what many of us were led to believe. But then life happens. Hard questions surface. Prayers go unanswered. Church wounds fester. And suddenly, the faith that once felt unshakable starts to crack. Doubt creeps in, and if you grew up in certain church circles, you might have been told that doubt is dangerous, even sinful. But what if doubt isn’t a faith-killer? What if it’s actually a sign of growth?
The Dark Night of the Soul Isn’t the End
St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century mystic, coined the phrase “dark night of the soul” to describe a season of deep spiritual dryness, confusion, and even despair. It’s a space where God seems absent, prayer feels hollow, and certainty is nowhere to be found. But instead of labeling it as failure, he saw it as a necessary phase in a deeper spiritual transformation.
This isn’t just an ancient concept—it’s deeply relatable today. If you’ve ever felt like your faith has stalled or that God has gone silent, you’re not alone. The dark night isn’t a punishment or a detour; it’s part of the journey. In fact, some of the most resilient, mature believers are the ones who’ve wrestled with their faith rather than running from their questions.
The Bible Is Full of Doubters
If doubt was a disqualifier, the Bible wouldn’t have much to say. Instead, Scripture is filled with people who struggled with faith, questioned God and demanded answers from God. His faith wasn’t destroyed—it was deepened through the wrestling. David, the man after God’s own heart, wrote psalms that sound a lot like doubt: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Even Jesus, in His humanity, cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Doubt doesn’t mean you’ve lost your faith. Often, it means you’re engaging it more deeply than ever before.
Faith Isn’t About Certainty
In Western Christianity, especially in evangelical spaces, faith has often been equated with certainty. The unspoken (or spoken) rule is that strong faith means never wavering, never questioning, never second-guessing. But that’s not the faith we see in Scripture.
Hebrews 11, the famous “hall of faith” chapter and assurance about what we do not see.” That’s a far cry from mathematical certainty. Faith involves trust despite the unknown, commitment despite the questions. If certainty were required for faith, then faith wouldn’t be necessary. Faith is choosing to remain engaged with God even when you don’t have all the answers.
Embracing the Mess
So what do you do when doubt shows up uninvited? You don’t have to shove it down, pretend it’s not there, or panic. Instead, you can engage it in ways that allow faith to deepen rather than erode. Talking about it with a trusted friend, mentor, or pastor can be transformative—processing doubt in community is far healthier than struggling in silence. Being honest with God, like the psalmists were, reminds us that He can handle our doubts, frustrations, and fears. You don’t have to clean them up before bringing them to Him.
Sometimes, doubt is a sign that your faith is evolving. Re-examining what you believe, letting go of inherited beliefs that no longer hold up, and building a faith that’s truly your own can be a profound step forward. Engaging in spiritual practices, even when they feel dry, can keep you connected—prayer, Scripture, silence, and contemplation act as anchors. Most importantly, knowing that you’re not alone can make all the difference. Some of the most influential Christian thinkers—C.S. Lewis, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther—wrestled with doubt. If they weren’t disqualified, neither are you.
The Growth That Comes From Wrestling
Spiritual growth isn’t neat. It’s messy, unpredictable, and often uncomfortable. But seasons of doubt can refine your faith rather than ruin it. They strip away what’s shallow, challenge what’s assumed, and force you to wrestle with what you really believe.
If you’re in a season of doubt, you’re not backsliding. You’re not failing. You might actually be growing more than ever. Faith isn’t about avoiding the wilderness—it’s about trusting that God is still present in it.
The dark night of the soul isn’t the end of faith. It’s often where it truly begins.
Title: Doubt’s Your Dark Night: Faith Grows When It’s Messy
URL: https://relevantmagazine.com/life5/doubts-your-dark-night-faith-grows-when-its-messy/
Source: REL ::: RELEVANT
Source URL: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/rss/relevantmagazine.xml
Date: February 27, 2025 at 09:16PM
Feedly Board(s): Religion