I have never thought this could happen to me, but it is fact–I am struggling with disillusionment in faith.
I have lost my expectations for God to move, having passed through circumstances where God didn’t move the mountains, nor removed the burden. Passing through the valley of the shadow of death and life-altering loss, I have lost my belief that God still does miracles, and that He still does the impossible.
Facing Disillusionment in Faith
My confidence that God still delivers and still moves mountains has cracked.
I have lived too long in the land of “although”. This is a desert land of lack, a land in which we are stripped of the things we want and cherish, so beautifully described by the prophet Habakkuk in the following verses.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls…” (Habakkuk 3: 17)
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When You Have Lost the Expectation for God to Move
Somewhen along the way, tiny cracks have opened in the foundation of my faith, pockets of doubt and unbelief, disillusionment, and cynical attitude. I sense the poison in these cracks when “what’s the point” questions cross my mind:
God will do what He pleases, so what’s the point to ask? What’s the point to seek further? What’s the point to continue knocking on the door?
Friend, if you too play with the “what’s the point?” question, I get you. Eventually, we all get disillusioned to some extent in our faith. This disillusionment hinders us to approach the throne of glory with boldness and confidence.
However, God longs to heal us from our disillusionment and seal the cracks in our faith foundation with hope, comfort, and renewed strength. He wants to develop in us the faith to persevere.
I want to encourage you and share with you three ways of healing disillusionment in faith.
God longs to heal us from our disillusionment and seal the cracks in our faith foundation with hope, comfort, and renewed strength. #encouragement #faith #hope Share on XAcknowledging the Disillusionment
The first step to healing is to acknowledge the disillusionment. Because it touches the very foundation of our faith, it is easier to pretend it does not exist. Admitting it, however, brings freedom and allows us to pursue healing. It opens the way for God’s truth and grace to reach these poisonous pockets of doubt and hopelessness and heal them.
A practical way to acknowledge the disillusionment is to write how you feel and the thoughts and questions that bother you, accompanied by a simple prayer for healing. To help you, I have prepared a guided prayer printable for healing disillusionment in faith. Click on the image to download it.
Do you need more guided prayers? I have a FREE booklet with 7 Scripture-based prayers to support you in 7 specific situations and needs. Click HERE to get it.
10 Truths to Ponder and to Gain New Hope
- God is gracious and compassionate, and righteous in all His ways. (Psalm 111:4, Psalm 112:4, Psalm 116:5)
- God is actively involved and working in our lives, bending Himself to hear and respond to our pleas. (Psalm 113:5-6, Psalm 116:1)
- God’s presence is here, in all our situations, and dark places, and it is enough. (Psalm 114:7)
- God is our help and defense. (Psalm 115:9)
- God remembers us and will bless us. (Psalm 115:12)
- Our souls can return to their rest because the Lord has been good to us. (Psalm 116:7)
- The Lord has delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from stumbling. (Psalm 116:8)
- With God, we can! We can overcome every obstacle, we can survive everything, we can walk the second mile, we can and will see the defeat of our enemies. (Psalm 112:8)
- God still has a future for us dependent only on His grace, mercy, and power. (Romans 9:16)
- Pain and suffering are NOT our new life. This is just a season of pain and grief. (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
For your convenience, I have prepared a free printable with these truths for you to read and meditate on them. Download this printable HERE.
God Will Use Your Disillusionment for Good
When we meditate on these truths and make them personal, we actively put our trust in God once again. By the power of the Holy Spirit, our confidence that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living grows.
Friend, God will use your disillusionment for good if you allow Him. He is making your heart steadfast and secure, trusting in the Lord always without fear of bad news but with rich and unshakable expectations to experience God’s deliverance and love daily.
“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end, they will look in triumph on their foes.” (Psalm 112:7-8)
More Encouragement for You
If you need more resources and encouragement to keep your faith when tested, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.
Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings by Hadassah Treu
Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk
Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert
Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo
It’s not supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst
Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley
Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge
All Things New by John Eldredge
Transforming Your Thought Life by Sarah Geringer
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Your Turn
In which area have you lost hope for God to move? Which of the 10 truths spoke mostly to you? If you found this article helpful, please share it on social media.
When You Need to Find the Courage and Strength Your Heart Craves
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7 devotions with an intentional focus on areas of New Beginnings, Dealing with Hopelessness, Navigating Grief and Suffering, Faith & Spiritual Growth, Transition, Navigating Anxiety, and Work.
Selected Scripture
A Scripture-based prayer follows each devotional.
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My spiritual transformation started in 2006 but till now , I get so many days where I wake up with so much anxiety. Yoir journey helps me realize that it’s different everyday and no matter how long we’ve been at it, we all need to lean on faith. Remember to remember, as Michael Beckwith says
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Yazmin! So true – we need to lean on faith and keep moving forward. Beautiful quote!
Beauty out of ashes…I truly believe that can come out of times of disillusionment. Thank you for being so honest. We need more of that in our messages.
Thanks so much, Rochelle! I hope my honesty will motivate other believers who struggle with disillusionment in faith to face this problem and pursue healing.
Thank you so much for this encouragement today! Praying that God will cover you with his peace and renew your strength of faith, dear sister in Christ!
Thanks so much for your encouraging words and prayers, Patti! Amen!
Thanks for opening your heart and sharing these truths, Hadassah. I think we all go through times when it seems like God isn’t hearing or answering prayer, even requests that we feel sure would honor and glorify Him. It helps to think of Job and the people of Israel in the Bible who went through long periods of God’s seeming silence. I think you are right, God can use these times to grow and strengthen our faith.
Thanks so much, Barbara! Yes, I often think of Job and read the book pondering his story. I try to focus on God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and redemptive power, so beautifully displayed in the epilogue of this amazing story.