Is it possible to get my faith back?

[Lambano]

I find myself doubting God and sometimes I foolishly blame HIM for allowing my problems to happen. Sometimes I genuinely think HE hates me and that HE makes bad things happen to me out of spite. No matter how hard I try to remain a Christian, my problems usually cloud my mind and I feel angry at God. I don't even pray anymore as I don't think God cares about me and I only sometimes acknowledge the Bible.

This is the really hard part.

S***ty things really do happen to good people and God really DID allow them to happen - and we aren't told why. Men and women who are a lot smarter and a lot more spiritual and a lot holier and a lot more faithful than me have asked that question over the centuries and haven't come up with a satisfactory answer.

I suppose those who claim to follow a Man who lived in a land occupied by brutal foreign oppressors, a Man who was single His entire life, whose people rejected Him, whose friends never really understood Him and betrayed Him to a corrupt local government, who was brutally tortured and then executed in one of the most humiliating and excruciating methods ever devised by humanity's sick and evil minds, I suppose we shouldn't expect life to be fair.

The problem of Theodicy, a sovereign God's active and passive culpability for the evil in this world bothered me more as I grew older. I remember a conversation with one of the best friends I ever had, a faithful Christian brother, who tried to hand me the same old platitudes. I was shocked at how strongly something deep inside me reacted against that.

The model of faith I'm proposing trusts God in the face of suffering. Faith trusts God and so keeps asking, seeking, and knocking, even when the answer is "No" or "Wait". Faith doesn't measure the depth of God's love for you by the quality of your circumstances or whether prayers get answered, though faith responds with joy, gratitude, and thanksgiving when God does grant a prayer request. Faith is honest with God when he is disappointed or even angry with Him because he trusts God will still love him. Faith is also honest with God about one's own doubts.

Your life is a lot harder than mine; I've got no business preaching to you. And now I have to be honest and confess that I know damn well that my own faith isn't there yet. I wrote this as much for me as I did for you, knowing that life could go bad on me at any time. I don't know how to get there except by living through it. But maybe you and I can walk together for a bit and encourage each other.

 

[Nancy]

This is the really hard part.

S***ty things really do happen to good people and God really DID allow them to happen - and we aren't told why. Men and women who are a lot smarter and a lot more spiritual and a lot holier and a lot more faithful than me have have asked that question over the centuries and haven't come up with a satisfactory answer.

I suppose those who claim to follow a Man who lived in a land occupied by brutal foreign oppressors, a Man who was single His entire life, whose people rejected Him, whose friends never really understood Him and betrayed Him to a corrupt local government, who was brutally tortured and then executed in one of the most humiliating and excruciating methods ever devised by humanity's sick and evil minds, I suppose we shouldn't expect life to be fair.

The problem of Theodicy, a sovereign God's active and passive culpability for the evil in this world bothered me more as I got older. I remember a conversation with one of the best friends I ever had, a faithful Christian brother, who tried to hand me the same old platitudes. I was shocked at how strongly something deep inside me reacted against that.

The model of faith I'm proposing trusts God in the face of suffering. Faith trusts God to keep asking, even when the answer is "No" or "Wait". Faith doesn't measure the depth's of God's love for you by the quality of your circumstances, or whether prayers get answered. Though faith accepts gifts with joy and gratitude and thanksgiving when God does grant a prayer request. Faith is honest with God when he is disappointed or even angry with Him because he trusts God will still love him. Faith is also honest with God about one's own doubts.

Your life is a lot harder than mine; I've got no business preaching to you. And now I have to be honest and confess that I know damn well that my own faith isn't there yet. I wrote this as much for me as I did for you, knowing that life is going to get worse for me. I don't know how to get there except by living through it. But maybe you and I can walk together for a bit and encourage each other.

Wonderful brother! You hit a lot of nails here...I hope our brother can accept what you said, our circumstances rarely seem to change but He does change us to rise above them, thanks for the reminders :)
Out the ball park bro!

 

[dhh712]

This is the really hard part.

S***ty things really do happen to good people and God really DID allow them to happen - and we aren't told why. Men and women who are a lot smarter and a lot more spiritual and a lot holier and a lot more faithful than me have have asked that question over the centuries and haven't come up with a satisfactory answer.

I suppose those who claim to follow a Man who lived in a land occupied by brutal foreign oppressors, a Man who was single His entire life, whose people rejected Him, whose friends never really understood Him and betrayed Him to a corrupt local government, who was brutally tortured and then executed in one of the most humiliating and excruciating methods ever devised by humanity's sick and evil minds, I suppose we shouldn't expect life to be fair.

The problem of Theodicy, a sovereign God's active and passive culpability for the evil in this world bothered me more as I got older. I remember a conversation with one of the best friends I ever had, a faithful Christian brother, who tried to hand me the same old platitudes. I was shocked at how strongly something deep inside me reacted against that.

The model of faith I'm proposing trusts God in the face of suffering. Faith trusts God to keep asking, even when the answer is "No" or "Wait". Faith doesn't measure the depth's of God's love for you by the quality of your circumstances, or whether prayers get answered. Though faith accepts gifts with joy and gratitude and thanksgiving when God does grant a prayer request. Faith is honest with God when he is disappointed or even angry with Him because he trusts God will still love him. Faith is also honest with God about one's own doubts.

Your life is a lot harder than mine; I've got no business preaching to you. And now I have to be honest and confess that I know damn well that my own faith isn't there yet. I wrote this as much for me as I did for you, knowing that life is going to get worse for me. I don't know how to get there except by living through it.

Exactly.

 

[Lambano]

Wonderful brother! You hit a lot of nails here...I hope our brother can accept what you said, our circumstances rarely seem to change but He does change us to rise above them, thanks for the reminders :)
Out the ball park bro!

Thanks for the encouraging words, Sis. But how do I tell someone whom the world has rolled over and crunched that God loves them? "Don't tell me you love me, God, show me!". The only response I can think of is Romans 5:8. The world can't take that away.

 

[Nancy]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Sis. But how do I tell someone whom the world has rolled over and crunched that God loves them? "Don't tell me you love me, God, show me!". The only response I can think of is Romans 5:8. The world can't take that away.

It's never easy. Perhaps a reminder of the trials Jesus promised us will strengthen our resolve to pray to find His joy and PEACE through the trials. No easy answers brother, for sure. And nope, nobody can take away our redemption, amen!
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

 

[Lambano]

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

That was one of the verses on my heart. :)

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

Having thought about it, I worry that God doesn't want a relationship with me. The faith I had was special and I think deep down that I feel God made those things happen to me as a way of getting rid of me. Even deeper down I know I am wrong, though.

But maybe you and I can walk together for a bit and encourage each other.

Let me know if somehow I can encourage you.

 

[Lambano]

Even deeper down I know I am wrong, though.

Then the spark of faith still burns deep down; you just need to nurture it back into flame.

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

Then the spark of faith still burns deep down; you just need to nurture it back into flame.

The problem is I don't know how. I am considering suspending religion all together until/unless my life starts to get better.

 

[Sabertooth]

The problem is I don't know how.

1. Go to Church.
2. Read your Bible.
3. Pray that you would "get it."

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

I will admit that I was feeling angry when I wrote this. Currently I am in one of those positive moods where I love God and cannot think of actually totally giving up my faith, or suspending it for that matter. I just don't know what to do. It helps when I think about how everything is temporary and that someday we will live in a new, better world. Is there a way I can build on this?

 

[Lambano]

I will admit that I was feeling angry when I wrote this. Currently I am in one of those positive moods where I love God and cannot think of actually totally giving up my faith, or suspending it for that matter. I just don't know what to do. It helps when I think about how everything is temporary and that someday we will live in a new, better world. Is there a way I can build on this?

That's encouraging.

If you did trust God, what would you be doing? I'm not talking about going from country to country spreading the Gospel, but, I don't know, can you just... talk to God and be honest about how you feel? Maybe you've already done that.

An old preacher whose ministry I found helpful would say, you take the first step, let God take the second step, and by the time you take the third step, you'll realize God actually took the first step. Maybe trusting God to take the next step is the way to go.

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

If you did trust God, what would you be doing?

For starters I wouldn't be as angry with God. I would go back to praying twice a day and reading the Bible as frequently as I used to. I can't even remember the last time I prayed and anymore I usually just skim through the Bible and read bits of it.

can you just... talk to God and be honest about how you feel? Maybe you've already done that.

I have tried that several times before but it didn't make me feel any better.

An old preacher whose ministry I found helpful would say, you take the first step, let God take the second step, and by the time you take the third step, you'll realize God actually took the first step. Maybe trusting God to take the next step is the way to go.

I never heard that saying and that preacher sounds wise.

 

[Nancy]

Then the spark of faith still burns deep down; you just need to nurture it back into flame.

2 Timothy 1:6-7

6 "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

 

[bbyrd009]

The problem is I don't know how. I am considering suspending religion all together until/unless my life starts to get better.

you might understand where you are in your walk in terms of the Esau Cycle, Esau/Jacob/Israel

 

[Sabertooth]

Is there a way I can build on this?

...

1. Go to Church.
2. Read your Bible.
3. Pray that you would "get it."

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

...

I saw your suggestions the first time you posted them. It has already been established that I can't just go to church, I am not really interested in the Bible at this point, and I consider prayer to almost be a complete waste of time since God apparently does not care about me.

 

[Sabertooth]

It has already been established that I can't just go to church,...

I wouldn't know how to excuse myself to go to a church.

You never explained why you had to come up with an excuse to go to church...

...I am not really interested in the Bible at this point,...

...and I consider prayer to almost be a complete waste of time...

What do you think you need to do to break out of this funk...? Isolating yourself and living by your own wisdom is not going to do it.

 

[PossibleThrowawayAccount]

You never explained why you had to come up with an excuse to go to church...


What do you think you need to do to break out of this funk...? Isolating yourself and living by your own wisdom is not going to do it.

I wasn't getting smart with you when I said that I already read what you had said. I already said why I need an excuse on the second page of this thread.

What do you think you need to do to break out of this funk...? Isolating yourself and living by your own wisdom is not going to do it

I am doing everything I can.

 

[dev553344]

@PossibleThrowawayAccount I have faith in God because the Holy Spirit and God has manifested himself to me. It's always been that way for me. So I don't doubt.

But there is our faith and there is the gift of faith from God. 1 Corinthians 12:8-9