Is doubt a sin?
By Jessica Brodie
Have you ever been on the cusp of a major life change, like a significant job change or health decision, and gone to God for guidance?
God answered you and showed you the path, but then you went back to your family or friends, and their vehement disagreement caused you to doubt whether you’d heard God right, or made you waver in your conviction.
That’s hard! Sometimes we think if we’re truly obedient, Godly people, we won’t ever doubt, or at least we shouldn’t.
I have a friend who had just gotten laid off from his job, and he’d prayed and decided to go into business for himself. But his close friends fought him on this, giving all the human-perspective reasons why he shouldn’t, such as insisting he wouldn’t make enough to support his family. He was in a tough spot!
What does the Bible say about doubt? Is doubt a sin?
Reading 1 Samuel this morning, it struck me that we have a strong biblical example of doubt and how we are supposed to respond.
In 1 Samuel, the first king of God’s people, Saul, had fallen out of favor with the Lord. God had chosen and anointed the man who would be the new king, an unlikely man named David who had been his father’s shepherd. But David, whom God described as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22), faced a ton of obstacles before he became king. Saul and his army chased after David, killing those who aided him and doing their best to find and execute him. Yet God had other plans; He wanted David to be king, and He protected David.
Still, it was a scary time for David, and for his own forces. At one point, they were hiding out in Judah when they learned the Philistines had attacked a nearby city, Keilah.
“(David) inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.’ But David’s men said to him, ‘Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!’” (1 Samuel 23:1-3 NIV).
Did David cave? Or did he stay strong, insisting with great bravery, “No way, men. It’s God’s way or the highway!”
Neither.
David, a man after God’s own heart, went back to God and asked him again, got his answer, did as he was told, and was triumphant.
As the Bible says, “Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.’ So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah” (1 Samuel 23:4-5).
David is a good model for what we are to do today when we are faced with a tough choice, pray, but are confronted with opposition from those we love with the answer.
It’s not that we cannot doubt—that’s normal and acceptable. Doubt is not the problem. What matters is obedience. What we are to do is what David did: Go back to God, talk to Him again, seek guidance, and ultimately do what God tells us to do.
God loves us regardless of our feelings. With God we can be mad, happy, at peace, or frightened out of our wits. But when God tells us to do something, we’d best do as we’re told.
If you are faced with a tough decision today, it’s OK to have uncertainty. But the Bible shows us what to do in the example of David. Seek the will of God, over and over if we have to.
And then do God’s will.
Have you ever been in a situation like this? How did you respond? Comment below!