The text message came at 2:17 AM.
“Dad’s gone. The doctors tried everything.”
I stared at my phone, paralyzed. Just yesterday, we’d talked about his recovery plan. The surgery had gone “better than expected.” We were discussing rehabilitation options.
And now? Nothing made sense anymore.
Have you been there? When reality suddenly contradicts everything you thought you knew about God and how He works?
When Your Spiritual Map Fails You
In moments of devastating crisis—whether it’s unexpected loss, career implosion, health diagnoses, or relationship betrayal—our carefully constructed beliefs about God often shatter.
The spiritual map we’ve been following suddenly leads nowhere.
- “God protects His faithful” feels hollow when tragedy strikes anyway
- “Everything happens for a reason” offers little comfort amid senseless suffering
- “Just have more faith” becomes an impossible burden when doubt floods in
This spiritual disorientation isn’t just emotionally painful—it’s existentially threatening. When the God you thought you knew seems absent, indifferent, or even cruel, how do you trust again?
The Hidden Pattern in Spiritual Crisis
In THE CALL, Bob Cooper experiences a similar spiritual earthquake. After following all the “right” rules and climbing the religious mountain he thought led to God, his entire understanding collapses.
His crisis reveals a profound truth: Sometimes what feels like spiritual failure is actually spiritual awakening.
When everything falls apart, something new has space to emerge. But first, we must navigate the painful middle ground between what we once believed and what we’re now experiencing.
The Three Phases of Authentic Trust
Rebuilding trust in God after profound disappointment isn’t about forcing yourself to believe what no longer rings true. It’s about discovering a more resilient faith that can hold both your questions and your hope.
Phase 1: Honor the Disruption
When Naomi lost her husband and sons in the book of Ruth, she didn’t spiritualize her pain. She said plainly: “The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
This honesty isn’t faithlessness—it’s the foundation of authentic faith.
Steps to honor your disruption:
- Name it clearly: “My understanding of God has been shattered by _______”
- Feel it fully: Allow yourself to experience grief, anger, confusion
- Share it safely: Find at least one person who won’t try to “fix” your doubt
Instead of pushing doubts down, bring them to the surface. Your questions aren’t an obstacle to faith—they’re the beginning of a deeper one.
Phase 2: Separate the Map from the Territory
One of the most profound revelations in THE CALL comes when Bob realizes he’s been following a map that someone else created—not the actual landscape of God’s heart.
The map is not the territory.
Your beliefs about God are not God Himself.
When life contradicts your theology, it doesn’t necessarily mean God has abandoned you. It might mean your understanding of God was incomplete.
Steps to separate the map from the territory:
- Identify your assumptions: What specific beliefs about how God works have been challenged?
- Consider their source: Where did these beliefs originate? (Culture? Family? Specific teachers?)
- Hold them loosely: Which beliefs feel essential to faith, and which might be human constructs?
As one character in THE CALL explains to Bob: “They build temples in the Valley of Religion and call it the summit.”
Don’t confuse religious systems with the God they claim to represent.
Phase 3: Discover the Relationship Beyond the Rules
The most transformative discovery comes when we realize that God isn’t primarily interested in our adherence to a belief system. He’s pursuing relationship.
In THE CALL, Bob’s breakthrough moment comes when he realizes: “I’ve been trying to climb to something that was freely given all along.”
Steps to discover relationship beyond rules:
- Start with presence, not performance: Begin each day with five minutes of silence, simply being with God rather than doing for Him
- Search for evidence: Where might God still be present, though in unexpected ways?
- Embrace a bigger story: Consider how your current chapter might fit into a longer narrative you can’t yet see
The Counterintuitive Path to Trust
Here’s what’s rarely taught in spiritual circles: True trust grows through honest doubt, not by suppressing it.
When Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus didn’t rebuke him. He invited him closer: “Put your finger here; see my hands” (John 20:27).
The invitation stands for us too. Bring your doubts, your pain, your confusion—not to an abstract belief system but to a living Savior who meets you in your questions.
What Real Trust Looks Like Now
After catastrophic disappointment, trust looks different. It’s not blind optimism that nothing bad will happen. It’s the quiet confidence that whatever happens, you are held.
As THE CALL illustrates so powerfully, it’s about discovering that:
- You don’t have to climb to God; He has already come to you
- Your worth isn’t tied to your understanding or performance
- Life’s contradictions don’t disprove God; they reveal a deeper truth
One reader described their experience after working through these principles: “I stopped trying to force myself to believe what no longer made sense. Instead, I found God meeting me in my questions. My faith is both smaller and stronger—focused on fewer certainties but anchored in deeper trust.”
Your Next Step: From Crisis to Clarity
If your faith has been shaken by life’s contradictions, know this: What feels like the end of your faith might actually be its beginning.
The journey from rigid beliefs to resilient trust isn’t easy, but it leads to a relationship with God that can withstand even the harshest realities.
Don’t rush past the disruption. Don’t cling to maps that no longer lead home. Do listen for the voice that meets you exactly where you are.
Want to go deeper? THE CALL workbook is your next step in breaking free from performance-based spirituality and discovering the relationship God always intended. More than just questions, it’s a guided journey from exhausting religious effort to liberating grace. Click here www.graceempoweredliving.com/call to begin your transformation.
Written by, Scott Johnson is an author of thirteen books who helps people break free from performance-based spirituality. Drawing from over four decades of ministry experience, Scott empowers others to move beyond obstacles toward a fulfilled life through God’s grace. His passion is helping people discover they are already approved, already loved, and already complete in Christ—no exhausting religious performance required.