What should I do if I have doubts about God?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08

Doubts about God—whether about His existence, His goodness, or His personal care for you—are common spiritual trials in Christian life. In the Orthodox tradition, doubt is not seen as the end of faith, but as a battleground where faith is either tested and refined, or weakened through neglect.

Here is how you must address doubts according to Orthodox spiritual and patristic teaching:

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1. Identify the Source of the Doubt

Doubts do not arise in a vacuum; they typically stem from one of four roots:

• Spiritual Warfare and the Adversary: The devil frequently attacks the believer by questioning God’s paternity and love. Just as he tempted Christ in the wilderness by whispering, "If You are the Son of God..." (Matthew 4:3), he whispers to you: "If God truly loves you, why is there suffering, sickness, or silence in your life?" Recognize these thoughts as warfare rather than your own settled convictions.
• Guilt and an Accusing Conscience: Often, when a person falls into sin, the enemy convinces them that God is distant or indifferent. As the early Christian text The Shepherd of Hermas instructs:

"Put away doubting and do not hesitate to ask of the Lord. Do not say to yourself: 'How can I ask of the Lord and receive from Him, seeing that I have sinned so much against Him?' Do not reason with yourself like this, but turn to the Lord with all your heart and ask of Him without doubting, and you will know the multitude of His tender mercies, that He will never leave you."

• Intellectual Questions: Encountering secular philosophies, scientific questions, or historical skepticism can disturb the mind if one lacks theological grounding.
• Emotional Pain and Unanswered Prayers: When life brings hardship, death, or loss, human emotions can cloud spiritual vision, leading a person to confuse God's silence with His absence.

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2. Pray with Raw Honesty

Do not stop praying because you have doubts. The worst thing you can do is withdraw from God until you "feel" faithful again. Bring your doubt directly to God in prayer.

• Imitate the father of the afflicted child in the Gospel who cried out with tears:

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

• Cry out as the Apostles did when they felt their faith shaking:

"Lord, increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).

• Turn to the Psalms. The Psalmist constantly brings his raw struggles, questions, and fears before God without pretense, yet always concludes with trust in His mercy.

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3. Open Your Heart to Your Father of Confession

Orthodox spirituality is lived in communion, not isolation.

• Schedule a sitting with your Father of Confession (Abouna). Do not hide your doubts out of shame. A spiritual father has heard these struggles before and can discern whether your doubt is intellectual, emotional, or the result of a specific spiritual attack.
• An unconfessed sin or a life lived apart from repentance can cloud the spiritual intellect (nous). Scripture reminds us: "Wisdom will not enter a soul that plots evil, nor dwell in a body involved in sin" (Wisdom of Solomon 1:4). Cleansing the soul through the Mystery of Repentance and Confession restores clarity.

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4. Anchor Yourself in Scripture and the Church Fathers

Doubt often grows when we feed our minds with worldly cynicism while starving them of divine revelation.

• Read the Scriptures daily: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
• Read the Church Fathers: If your doubts are intellectual, turn to the writings of the Fathers of the Church—such as St. Athanasius the Apostolic (On the Incarnation) or St. Cyril of Alexandria. They addressed every form of pagan skepticism, heresy, and philosophical objection with rigor and divine wisdom.
• Examine the historical reality of the Resurrection of Christ. Our faith is not grounded in blind emotionalism or vague myth, but in historical events witnessed by the Apostles and sealed with the blood of countless martyrs throughout the centuries.

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5. Remain Steadfast in the Sacraments and Church Life

When a person experiences doubt, the temptation is to stop attending the Divine Liturgy or taking Holy Communion. This is precisely what the enemy desires—to isolate the sheep from the flock and the Shepherd.

• Attend the Divine Liturgy regularly, even when you feel cold or dry. The grace of God in the Mysteries works deeper than human emotion.
• Maintain your spiritual rule: pray your Agpeya hours, fast according to the Church’s rites, and do works of mercy. Faith is often restored through obedience and action rather than passive contemplation.

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Summary Rule

When doubts assault you:

1. Acknowledge them without panicking.
2. Cry out to Christ to strengthen your weakness.
3. Bring them to the light of your spiritual father in confession.
4. Remain anchored in the Liturgy, the Word of God, and the life of the Church. God is forever faithful; He does not abandon those who sincerely seek Him.