Unka Glen

Anonymous asked: I have very intense doubt. I think I believe in God, but without any “proof,” it’s hard for me to feel safe. The fear that God might not exist is completely crippling, and I spend most of my time consumed by absolute terror. I want to believe so badly, but it’s so hard. I try to pray, but I can never feel “God’s presence.” Do you have any advice for dealing with doubt? <3

Unka Glen answered: I vaguely remember a lecture in my college days, about a psychology lab that did sleep studies. They woke people up after being asleep for a few minutes, and others who had been asleep for a few hours. Often, they could report roughly how long they’d been asleep. But neither they, nor the scientists could say just how they came by this knowledge. 

They called it meta-knowledge, things that you just know, even if you can’t say how.

Some things just exist in our minds, explanation or not, and we’ve experienced this many times over in our lives, and accepted it without scientific scrutiny or philosophical debate. But when it comes to God, well, that’s another story. Deep down, in your secret heart, deep in your soul, even as you read these words, you feel the undeniable presence of God, warming your heart and giving you a proof that is beyond science or logic. You know that you know.

What you’re afraid of is that God DOES exist. Because if He does, that changes everything. No more handwringing debates, no fears to wrap yourself up in, no more games. Just you standing in the full sight of an all-knowing, all-powerful God. The worry is that God exists, and that He just doesn’t like you’re style.

I’ll give you just a three word quote from the Bible: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). To be in God’s presence is to be in the presence of love. To enter into a relationship with God is to be lost in love, to be overwhelmed and consumed by love. To abide with God is to know that this love is bigger than any sin, any doubt, any fear. 

God’s saving love says to you, “all that’s over now. You can relax.”