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Faithful Doubt: Habakkuk, a Review and Reflection

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Biblical Wisdom Faith

If you’re a Christian, you have probably faced doubt at some point in your walk with Christ. You’re not alone! In fact, there are numerous men and women from the Bible who struggled with believing God.

Faithful Doubt: Habakkuk, written by pastor Travis Scott (not the rapper), explores the short prophetic book of, you guessed it, Habakkuk, in a practical and meaningful way through the lens of a doubter. Travis is the pastor of Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh and holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Covenant Theological Seminary.

Rather than an emotionally removed analysis, Travis approaches the passage of Scripture from an honest and humble perspective, recalling difficulties experienced as a husband, father, and pastor regarding doubt, its causes and effects. Doubt, according to Travis, is natural in the life of a believer. A believer who does not doubt either does not think about his or her faith (like he or she should) or has already been perfected.

From Travis’ pastoral view, doubt is not the opposite of faith. It challenges the faith of a believer, of course. But God can use doubt for good, just like any hurdle in the faith. And the great news is that He does!

Habakkuk was a minor prophet, but as Dr. Byron Curtis, a Geneva College Bible professor would be sure to let you know, a minor prophet wasn’t any less important than any other prophet. Habakkuk pleaded with God, questioned Him, going so far as to claim that God seemed to be doing nothing about the paganism, corruption, and war in the world. Travis notices that Habakkuk’s doubt was a healthy one, bringing him closer to God rather than leading him further away.

What then should the believer do when he or she doubts? Go to God with it!

Scripture is filled with faithful men and women who truly struggled with doubt. Job, Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Peter, Thomas, and the hundreds of other people in the Bible were not superhuman. They failed and they accused God of wrongdoing, but they are still counted among the righteous.

God’s response to doubt can be stern and even appear harsh to some, but in the end, did God obliterate those aforementioned men and women on the spot? Was he unaware of their doubt? Of course not! But he responds to doubt in ways we do not understand. Like Habakkuk, we can sing praises to God for being so much greater than us!

If you are experiencing doubt or are trying to help someone who is (Jude 1:22 may be encouraging to you), reading Travis’ book will be a great encouragement. Your doubt probably won’t suddenly disappear, but the book leads you to God’s Word. That’s the best place to go!

Geneva College offers a curriculum of integration of faith and vocational learning. For more information, contact Admissions at admissions@geneva.edu or 800-847-8255.

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Ian Slippy '23 is a Geneva College junior studying cultural engagement and ministry.

Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Mar 2, 2022

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