Have you ever had doubts about the existence of God? Or wondered if He cares about your individual needs? As someone who has been there, I’ve found that reasoning through those doubts can strengthen your faith. Every time I begin to question God’s existence or His ability to answer my prayers, I turn to reason. It’s in those moments that I can find a deeper understanding of His presence and His work in my life.
As a skeptic and rational person, I tend to rely more on logic than emotions. I need data to back up my belief system. That data often comes from two sources:
- My own life — I can look back and see how Jesus has been faithful, present, and alive in my circumstances.
- Other people’s stories — by listening to, reading about, and watching the lives of other Christians.
Timothy Keller, in The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, writes:
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
So, what do you do when you begin to doubt if God exists or cares about your personal needs? Here’s how you can strengthen your faith through reason:
Rely on Historical and Archaeological Evidence
The Bible is one of the most well-documented and researched religious texts in human history. Don’t just take someone’s word for it — do your research. Read the writings of historians who lived during or shortly after Jesus’s time on earth. Many of them weren’t even Christians.
Here are just a few non-Christian historical sources that mention Jesus:
- Tacitus (c. AD 56–120), Roman historian, Annals (~AD 116):
“Christus, from whom the name [Christians] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate…” (Annals 15.44) - Josephus (c. AD 37–100), Jewish historian, Antiquities of the Jews (~AD 93–94):
“At this time, there was a wise man named Jesus… He was the Christ… he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold…” (18.3.3) - Lucian of Samosata (c. AD 125–180), Greek satirist:
“…the Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account… They are convinced that they are immortal, and will live forever… and they despise death…” (The Death of Peregrinus) - Pliny the Younger (c. AD 61–113), Roman governor, in a letter to Emperor Trajan (~AD 112):
“They [Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a fixed day before dawn and singing hymns to Christ as to a god…” (Letters 10.96)
These non-Christian sources, written close to the time of Jesus, confirm not only His existence but also the early Christian belief in His resurrection.
Rely on the Testimonies of Others
Every Christian who wasn’t born into the faith has a testimony. And testimonies matter.
Jesus encouraged us to share our stories. In Mark 5:19, He said:
“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Search YouTube and you’ll find countless stories of miraculous encounters with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you ever doubt that Jesus exists, listen to millions of people describe their encounters with Him.
We can’t all be delusional. People from every continent and background — many of whom have never met — describe Jesus in shockingly similar ways. Could billions of people, over thousands of years, all be having the same hallucination? That defies logic.
It would be illogical to dismiss all of it as a coincidence or mass delusion.
Rely on Humility
Be humble when you approach God. Understand that there are things beyond your comprehension — and that’s okay. The Bible repeatedly calls us to approach God with humility, reverence, and awe.
“But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” — James 4:6
Humility is the key.
Pride skews our ability to see the truth. It’s hard to see another perspective when your judgment is clouded by preconceived notions, which often come disguised as pride.
I get it — it’s hard to admit you’re wrong when the alternative forces you to confront something even scientists can’t explain. People from all faiths, including atheists, have tried to disprove Christianity, the Bible, and the existence of Jesus. But they’ve failed — and they continue to fail — because you can’t disprove a supernatural truth using only natural tools.
C.S. Lewis, a British writer and former atheist, once said:
“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
(Mere Christianity)
To see God, you must be willing to bow your head first.
Faith Welcomes Reason
One of the most beautiful aspects of Christianity is that it allows space for doubt. Jesus invites us into a relationship, and like any relationship, that includes trust. And trust is built over time — through curiosity, questions, and sometimes… waiting.
God answers in various ways. He’s incredibly creative with how He communicates. Sometimes his answer is immediate. Sometimes, He waits for the right moment — when our hearts are ready to receive it.
What I’ve learned in my walk with Christ is that He rarely works the same way twice. He’s unpredictable in the best way possible. The key to experiencing Him? It’s your heart posture.
When your prayers become about others, and your heart begins to shift, you will see Him move. He cares deeply about your heart, but He cares even more about how you treat others. Christianity is not just a relationship with God — it’s a way of living with people.
So reason with God.
He welcomes your questions.
It’s the only way you’ll ever truly get to know Him.
Reference:
- Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. HarperOne, 2001.
- Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Riverhead Books, 2008.
- Tacitus. The Annals of Imperial Rome. Translated by Michael Grant, Penguin Classics, 2003..
- Josephus, Flavius. The Antiquities of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.
- Lucian. “The Death of Peregrinus.” Lucian, Volume 5, translated by A.M. Harmon, Harvard University Press (Loeb Classical Library), 1936.
- Pliny the Younger. Letters. Translated by Betty Radice, Penguin Classics, 2003.
- The Holy Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2016.
Fariza 