When You Feel Confused

 

By: Sarah Geringer

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

Isaiah 48:17 NIV

When you feel confused, what do you do? I can tell you what I've done right, and what I've done wrong.

Let's start with the wrong:

• worried, ruminated, and analyzed things to death
• introspected myself sick
• unfairly blamed myself for the confusion
• felt disillusioned and ready to quit
• ran to the wrong people for advice
• jumped into a decision to end the confusion limbo

I'm sure you've done one or more of these things before too.

Before we go any further, let's be honest about something rarely discussed:

Sometimes seasons of faith can feel confusing.

You may have wondered if you really heard something from God, or if it was just your wishful thinking talking. Or if it was the devil whispering lies to you.

You may wonder if a calling on your life is what God wants for you, or if you're subconsciously convincing yourself from your own desires.

You may reflect on other times that felt confusing, and now you're throwing your hands up, secretly reasoning that God has it all planned out anyway, so why bother trying to figure it out?

I've been in each of these situations. They felt unsteady and frustrating. But even in my confusion, my desires to know how to move forward and to do what's right in God's eyes did not diminish.

Over time I learned how to find peace even when I feel confused about both little and big matters of faith. Let's go to what I've done right, so that you can learn from these lessons too.

When you feel confused, what do you do? Here's encouragement for your faith journey.

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When I feel confused, these are the steps I take. 

• I recount God's unchanging character. Nothing confuses him. He is the author of truth. Though he may not give me the answers I want right away, I know I can trust him because he is steadfast.
• I remember this is what faith is all about. There are times when we need to exercise blind faith because we really have no clue what is ahead. We just have to trust God to lead us forward. If everything was all spelled out for us, why would we need faith?
• I realize that often, God only gives me enough guidance for one more step forward. As our focus verse states, he will direct us in the way we should go. Often, that's just one little movement forward, and that is enough.
• I reach out to trusted Christian friends and sometimes my counselor for wisdom. Their caring perspective gets me out of my own head and frequently helps me see the situation more clearly.
• I rely on others to pray for clarity. The past several years, I've experienced confusion in understanding when I'm really hearing from God. Asking trusted people to pray clarity for my situation lifts some of the burden off of me, and gradually makes answers clearer.
• I reject the lies of the enemy. The state of confusion is a prime time for Satan's attacks. But I don't let him get me down. I focus on the truth of God's Word in the Bible, as in our focus verse. When the devil tries to distract and mislead me, God's Word always puts my feet back on solid ground.
• I reflect on past victories over confusion. Once, I felt confused after a meeting with two literary agents. My friend immediately prayed for me, and I felt peace though I didn't see how it would turnout. Now I am in a completely different situation, and I can see how God protected me in that moment from making choices that weren't right for me. This is always easier to see in hindsight. But reflecting on those victories gives me hope that I'll see another victory in the future over my confusing situation in the present.

I hope these tips will help you when you feel confused. If you have more suggestions for handling confusion from a biblical perspective, please share them in the comments below.

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

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Reflection questions:

1. When have you felt confused in the past? How did God clear it up in time?

2. How might one of the principles above help reduce feelings of confusion for you?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.