Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would first say that, regardless of whatever we may "do" with our doubts and complaints, God (being omniscient) is aware of them. We are not "hiding" anything from Him by nursing them internally and allowing them to grow. Also, He has promised that people who seek Him shall surely find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), and He wants such people to come to an ever-increasing knowledge of Him (2 Peter 3:18). Take a personal inventory of attitudes or actions that may be hindering that search.

Also, to me, one of the purposes of prayer (which verses such as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 advise Christians to do "without ceasing") is to lay those doubts and complaints before Him in a sincere spirit of humility and seeking, and to ask His assistance in resolving them. Then, look for ways in which He may be addressing those issues through life events, as part of His means of "working all things together for good" for those who follow Him. (As my time on earth increases, I am amazed when considering the ways in which He has worked through seemingly unconnected or random events in my life to achieve a purpose that only became apparent later.)

In addition, take advantage of the guidance with respect to those issues that He has already provided to us in the Bible by reading and studying it in a thorough, systematic manner.

Finally, realize the importance of faith in the life of a Christian. None of us alive today ever met Jesus during His earthly life, but we believe in Him because of the faith we place in the accounts we have of His life and work. (As He told Thomas (who was in a similar position to us with respect to the need for faith), "Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29).)

February 02 2021 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

The bible is clear that God welcomes the doubts and complaints of his people (Christians), who already have faith in Him. In the scripture reference provided, God is responding to people who are "complaining" but are also "rebelling" against the will of God. These are unbelieving people who rail against God for all their woes in life, but refuse to repent and receive his salvation.

David and Job are two biblical characters who are great examples to learn how to address our doubts and complaints with God. 

The book of Job describes in detail Job's complaints against God. Job was blameless and upright, he feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1). Job knew he was being punished by God; everything he owned was taken from him, including his health. Job couldn't understand why God was doing this; he had examined his life and couldn't find any sin that needed to be confessed and forsaken. But Job knew that God was testing him and when the test was over his faithfulness would still be intact.

David is described as a man after God's own heart. David has the largest story of any person in the bible, except Jesus. David wrote 70 of the Psalms to express his feelings to God in praise and worship. David used these Psalms to cry out to God with his complaints and to express his doubts with raw emotions. David was honest and real before God. David knew when he had sinned; he knew he needed to confess that sin and repent, so his relationship with God would be restored.

How to deal with doubts:
1. Lay the doubt before God, being as specific as we can be
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the cause of this doubt
3. Confess any sins and repent, changing our thinking and behaviour
4. Renounce any lies we have believed from the enemy
5. Declare the truth that we need to believe from God's word

Here is an example:
a) I doubt God loves me because I can't change my life
b) I pray and meditate on the source of this doubt
c) I confess my sin, asking God for his wisdom and strength to change
d) I reject the thought that God has given up on me as a lost cause
e) I declare the truth of God's abiding love for me

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39).

The same process can be used for complaints. We ask the Holy Spirit whether the complaint originates from our selfish desires or from legitimate concerns. We refute the lies we have believed and declare the truth of God's promises to us.

February 02 2021 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report