Why Am I Struggling With My Faith?

If you are struggling with your faith, you may still believe in God, read your Bible, and pray. And then, out of nowhere, a question comes up that you just cannot seem to settle.

“Why does God feel so far away?”

“What if I have misunderstood Him this whole time?”

“Why am I still afraid when I know exactly what Scripture says?”

Sometimes the question itself troubles you more than the answer ever could. You start wondering whether a stronger Christian would even be asking something like that in the first place.

Listen, I want you to bring that question right out into the light. We need to actually examine what you are struggling with, rather than let shame tell you what your struggle means about you.

If part of your struggle is the old belief that you are never enough, read Who Am I in Christ When I Don’t Feel Good Enough?.

A question is not the whole story of your faith.

In Mark 9, a father brought his son to Jesus. He wanted Jesus to help, and at the very same time, he recognized his own struggle to believe. His prayer was so honest: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

He brought both of those things to Jesus at once. He did not wait until every fearful thought disappeared before he asked for help. He just came as he was.

There is a real difference between bringing a question to God and deciding ahead of time that you are going to reject His answer. If you are wrestling with something Scripture says, name it. Read the passage. Ask a mature believer to sit down and work through it with you. You do not need to pretend that question has gone away just to look like you have it all together.

When God feels far away.

You might know in your head that God is present, and still feel completely distant from Him in your heart. Those two things can absolutely exist in the same day. I have lived that day myself.

The writer of Psalm 13 asked, “How long, O Lord?” He spoke openly about his sorrow and about the sense that God had hidden His face from him. Then, right in the middle of that, he remembered God’s steadfast love and kept praying anyway.

That psalm never asks you to deny how you feel. It simply shows you where to take the feeling.

Try putting your struggle into a sentence: “Lord, I know Your Word says You are near, but I do not feel near to You today.” Then go read what Scripture says about His character. Let His Word answer the question your feelings have raised, because your feelings were never meant to be the final word.

If this is where you are right now, I wrote more about it in How to Get Closer to God.

When fear sounds like a spiritual question.

Sometimes a woman will tell me, “I keep asking God what to do.” As we talk it through, I learn she has already read the relevant Scripture, sought out counsel, and considered her responsibilities carefully. Yet she asks the same question over and over again because underneath it all, she is simply afraid of choosing wrong.

The question matters. But so does the fear sitting right underneath it.

Ask yourself, “Am I looking for wisdom I still genuinely need, or am I asking for a level of certainty God never actually promised me?” James tells us to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). He does not tell us to sit and wait until we know every single outcome before we take a faithful step forward.

Other spiritual fears need a different kind of response entirely. If someone has threatened you, pressured you, or twisted Scripture to control you, please take those facts seriously. Seek help from trustworthy people who will actually listen carefully and help you address what is happening.

Where do you begin?

Choose one question instead of trying to answer every fear you have all at once. Write down:

“What happened?”

“What am I afraid this means?”

“What does Scripture say?”

“What do I still need to understand?”

Then go read that passage in its full context. Talk with someone who knows God’s Word and who is willing to hear your whole concern, not just hand you a quick, tidy answer. Pray honestly the whole way through.

Some struggles also affect your sleep, daily functioning, or ability to move through the day. If that describes what you are going through, please seek support suited to those needs. You do not have to figure out whether the struggle is “spiritual” or “emotional” before you are allowed to ask for help. Sometimes it is both, and that is okay.

At Anchored Woman, I offer Christian coaching and biblical resources for women who want to examine persistent questions and practice living from what Scripture actually says. We start right where you are, with the concern in front of you, and bring it before the Lord together.