Doubt

A friend asked me to write a prayer about doubt. I was stumped until, one morning after prayer and meditation, the notion of doubt as a Divine gift broke through. The result is a set of prayers about difficult emotions, including “Shame,” “Fear” and “Anger.” To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The entire text follows.

Doubt
G-d of ancient secrets,
G-d of unknown futures,
I’ve been on the mountain
And in the valley.
I’ve swum calm waters
And was tossed by a raging sea.
I’ve been a man / woman of perfect faith
And consumed by impenetrable doubt.
I live between moments of clarity and hours of confusion,
Between daylight and twilight.
I live between the heights and the depths,
Between the calm and the storm,
Between hesitation and trust.

Doubt is a gift.
Doubt is a journey.
Doubt is a blessing.

Holy One,
Creator of mysteries beyond my grasp,
Help me to see my doubts as teachers and guides
Leading me back to You,
Your people,
And Your word.
Let my doubt be the gateway to faith,
Just as confusion is the path to understanding,
As night is the doorway to sunlight.

Blessed are You, Redeemer of the lost,
Who created doubt so that we might discover faith.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This is part of a series of prayers about difficult emotions, including “Fear,” “Shame” and “Anger.”

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