Today
I was stunned to find out that Christian rock singer Jon Steingard of Hawk
Nelson no longer believes in God. In one of his post on Instagram Jon wrote “After
growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor's kid, playing and singing in a
Christian band, and having the word 'Christian' in front of most of the things
in my life - I am now finding that I no longer believe in God.”
This
raises the question, “Is it ok to question your faith?” I know I have. I know
others who have as well. I will not venture to guess the process Jon took to
come to his conclusion, but I do have to wonder if he suffered through this
alone or if he reached out to other believers to walk with him.
We
can doubt for so many reasons. When a loved one is taken away from us too soon.
When we do not get that job or that raise. When your spouse tells you that they
want a divorce. Some think they are not good enough to receive salvation. Some
think that science proves that God does not exist.
I
have yet to find anywhere that God says that we cannot doubt. Thomas doubted
when the disciples told him they had seen the resurrected Jesus. He was not
going to believe until he could touch the holes in his hands and side. Eight
days later he would get that chance and he believed. 29 Then
Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen
me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” – John 20:29
I
see it this way. We were made to be in community. It is a community of
believers that loved me through my questions. They helped with answers. That
raised more questions. They walked along side me and guided me through what I
call my desert time. I turned to the Bible. I turned to research. I came to the
same conclusion that so many others have before, and my faith became stronger.
God
wants us to love and trust Him completely. I strive for this. The problem is that
Satan wants nothing more than for us to question ourselves right out of our
faith. Sorry Satan, not happening. I know where those questions come from and
like when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, I turn to the Scriptures.
1 I look up to the mountains—does my help come from
there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made
heaven and earth! – Psalm 121:1-2
I
was encouraged by Jon’s statement, "I certainly couldn't say for certain
that God isn't there. I would prefer it if he was," he says. "My
prayer in recent days has been 'God, if you’re there, please show up.' I
mean it sincerely. So far, I don’t feel like I’ve been answered.
My door remains open." His bandmates, in their statement said, "God is still FOR Jon & he still
matters," they added. "Why? Because that truth doesn’t change just
because we question it."
We should not condemn anyone for questioning their faith. We should love them through it. We should walk alongside them. We should pray with and for them. Let them see Jesus through us.
1 comment:
Thank you for this post. I served as a teacher in the Children's Ministry for several years. I was always thankful when I saw the children grow and question their faith. It is a process that needs to occur. When children are young, many are covered in the faith of their parents, their church members, or the faith of their friends and teachers if they attend a Christian school. Everyone, however, needs to grow into their own faith. I have seen many children who never had to question their faith finally do so when the go to college or move away for the first time. The ones that fall away usually are surrounded by unbelievers.
Even adults who have their own faith will have it tested. This is important in our Christian walk. A friend of mine who lost a son to illness once said "faith not tested, can't be trusted". This is so true. It will be tested in small ways and big ways. My family experienced this during my husband's illness and death. I am so thankful that I was able to see my husband secure in his faith prior to him passing. My boys are still in the process of questioning their faith. As a mother it is difficult to watch. All I can do is be an example of a woman walking with Christ, pray for them, love them, and trust in the Lord. James 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
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