I want to believe in God but I don’t know how.
Sometimes the idea of God makes a lot of sense but all of the ramifications of believing in God are hard to swallow. If you find yourself wishing you could believe, you’re not alone. Consider praying a prayer like this:
God, I don’t know if you’re out there. I’m not sure how I feel about you if you are. But if you do exist I’d like to know more about you. Reveal yourself to me. Help me to find you.
It says very clearly in the Bible that those who seek God will find him. Ask God to reveal himself to you. Be honest about your reservations. God is not offended by questions or doubts.
If you have questions you’d like to talk about, we’d love to hear from you.
Jennifer you are not alone in struggling to hang on to a childhood faith in an adult world. There is much that a child will accept just because that is what they are surrounded with but never really tried to understand fully. University and college are places that cause you to question many things about life and for many schools faith in God is rejected as superstition.
But just because you never deeply understood the reality of God, His love for you and His plan for your life does not mean that they are foolish. Right now I would say that you have an opportunity to explore the truth of God as an adult. Talking to your mother as she faces the uncertainty of coming days to understand the foundation of her faith could be an important part of your exploration.
I would also challenge you to read the Bible with the eyes of an adult. Look for how the Bible describes God, humanity, and how Jesus changed the world forever. See how those match what you see around you. There are lots of books written by others who have also struggled with the truth of the Bible and they may help you know what questions to ask and where they found answers. One such book is Lee Strobel’s “Case For Christ”. Another great book is Josh McDowell’s “Evidence That Demands a Verdict”. You can listen to Josh on http://powertochange.com/itv/spirituality/the-bible-is-unique as He talks about his experience as a university student who wanted to prove that Christianity was a lie but how that brought him to a place of discovering that it was true.
Finally, I challenge you to also talk to God as you explore. Let Him know about your doubts, questions and struggles. Talk to Him about your fears and anxieties. Ask Him to show you His truth. I will be praying for you as well. Lord God I pray for Jennifer. I can only imagine the turmoil inside of her right now as she walks through this time of sorrow with her mom. I pray Lord that she would discover how You have been walking with her always and the things that she blindly accepted as a child had a depth of reality that is unshakable. I pray that she and her mom are able to go through this journey together and that both of them would find new confidence and comfort in Your promise and Your provision. Amen.
I am having trouble beleiving in God my faith was really strong as a child. In college I learned so many things that challenged my faith. I had a professor say that beliving in God is for febile minded people. That we make the whole concept up just because we can’t accept the fact the we are mortal.
My Mom is currently dying of breast cancer and, I want to be able to support her spiritually. It is really hard because I am trying to comfort her by saying things that I don’t even know if I beleive.
Thank you for your help,
Jen