--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the secret to joy is to keep seeking…" description: "\"...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.\" — Ann Voskamp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png" --- # ...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt… ![“...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.” quote by Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png) > “...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.” [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Joy is found by seeking God even in doubt, turning uncertainty into a place of divine encounter. **In simple terms:** Seek God where doubt exists. Key Takeaway Find joy in uncertainty. Themes faith joy spiritual seeking doubt Mood contemplative hopeful Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - prayer - counseling - daily reflections - mission work Key Concepts theology spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize divine presence in doubt? - What practices help maintain hope? A Different Perspective Doubt may persist despite seeking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Seeking god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking-god/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [“But the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/but-the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god-where-we-doubt-he-is/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [If knowledge is my God, doubt would be my religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/if-knowledge-is-my-god-doubt-would-be-my-religion/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [If I had not actually got into this work and been called of God, I would back out. But I cannot back out: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/if-i-had-not-actually-got-into-this-work-and-been-called-of-god-i/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [The old wanderlust had gotten into his blood, the joy of the unbound life, the joy of seeking, of hoping without limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/the-old-wanderlust-had-gotten-into-his-blood-the-joy-of-the-unbound/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [We learn in our guts, not just in our brain, that a life of joy is not in seeking happiness, but in experiencing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-learn-in-our-guts-not-just-in-our-brain-that-a-life-of-joy-is-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am far more distress-avoidant than I am joy-seeking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-am-far-more-distress-avoidant-than-i-am-joy-seeking/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“You are joy-seeking beings who have come forth into what we see as the perfect environment for desire to be born within you. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-hicks/you-are-joy-seeking-beings-who-have-come-forth-into-what-we-see-as/) [Abraham Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-hicks/) > [By seeking God we keep moving forward in the Kingdom of God. (2 Chronicles 26:5) He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goddey-wilson/by-seeking-god-we-keep-moving-forward-in-the-kingdom-of-god-2/) [GODDEY WILSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goddey-wilson/) > [“Our lives must be spent seeking our God, for God hides; but His artifices, once they be known, seem so simple and smiling! From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/our-lives-must-be-spent-seeking-our-god-for-god-hides-but-his/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [All time is wasted that is not spent in seeking God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lahiri-mahasaya/all-time-is-wasted-that-is-not-spent-in-seeking-god/) [Lahiri Mahasaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lahiri-mahasaya/) > [If you're sincerely seeking God, God will make His existence evident to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/if-you-re-sincerely-seeking-god-god-will-make-his-existence-evident/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [Sometimes we get so caught up in seeking God's presents that we forget all about His presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-williams/sometimes-we-get-so-caught-up-in-seeking-god-s-presents-that-we/) [Craig Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-williams/) > [If we seek God for our own good and profit, we are not seeking God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/if-we-seek-god-for-our-own-good-and-profit-we-are-not-seeking-god/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [“We do not “find” God as a result of our search for him. We are found by him. The search for God does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/we-do-not-find-god-as-a-result-of-our-search-for-him-we-are-found-by/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [With reference to other religions, the Church sees a great difference between them and herself. The other religions are expressions of the human soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-arinze/with-reference-to-other-religions-the-church-sees-a-great-difference/) [Francis Arinze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-arinze/) ## More by Ann Voskamp > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Trauma's storm can mask the Christ and feelings can lie. I draw all the hurting voices close and I tough their scars with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/trauma-s-storm-can-mask-the-christ-and-feelings-can-lie-i-draw-all/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“How long does it take for your soul to recognize that your life is full? The slower the living, the greater the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/how-long-does-it-take-for-your-soul-to-recognize-that-your-life-is/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“For forty long years, God's people daily eat manna - a substance whose name literally mans 'What is it?' Hungry, they choose to gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/for-forty-long-years-god-s-people-daily-eat-manna-a-substance-whose/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [The real romantics imagine greying and sagging and wrinkling as the deepening of something sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-real-romantics-imagine-greying-and-sagging-and-wrinkling-as-the/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Scales always lie. They don't make a scale that ever told the truth about value, about worth, about significance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/scales-always-lie-they-don-t-make-a-scale-that-ever-told-the-truth/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Darkness transfigures into light, bad transfigures into good, grief transfigures into grace, empty transfigures into full. God wastes nothing – ‘makes everything work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/darkness-transfigures-into-light-bad-transfigures-into-good-grief/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“And the saddest of all may be when we give away our lives to insignificant things, things we didn’t realize we subconsciously loved. Turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/and-the-saddest-of-all-may-be-when-we-give-away-our-lives-to/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Satan's sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/satan-s-sin-becomes-the-first-sin-of-all-humanity-the-sin-of/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Simplicity is never a matter of circumstances; simplicity is a matter of focus. So in the midst of educating and parenting our children, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/simplicity-is-never-a-matter-of-circumstances-simplicity-is-a-matter/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Every day, with every word, we get to decide: Do we mar the world, or mark the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/every-day-with-every-word-we-get-to-decide-do-we-mar-the-world-or/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Thanksgiving-giving thanks in everything-prepares the way that God might show us His fullest salvation in Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/thanksgiving-giving-thanks-in-everything-prepares-the-way-that-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/practice-is-the-hardest-part-of-learning-and-training-is-the-essence/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Every moment I live, I live bowed to something. And if I don't see God, I'll bow down before something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/every-moment-i-live-i-live-bowed-to-something-and-if-i-don-t-see-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) [Explore all 390 Ann Voskamp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) ## More Doubt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Vision motivates, sustains and dispels doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-young/vision-motivates-sustains-and-dispels-doubt/) [Thomas Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-young/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Let smiles overshadow sadness. Let faith make you believe. Let confidence wash away doubts. Let love complete your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/let-smiles-overshadow-sadness-let-faith-make-you-believe-let/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapman/when-in-doubt-suggest-that-a-subcommittee-be-appointed/) Harry Chapman > [“Those who contemplate never escape the doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/those-who-contemplate-never-escape-the-doubt/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) [Browse all 9,582 Doubt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Voskamp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god-where-we-doubt-he-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doubt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god-where-we-doubt-he-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/ann-voskamp-729_doubt_the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god_2606022.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.” — Ann Voskamp", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann Voskamp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...the secret to joy is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god-where-we-doubt-he-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-secret-to-joy-is-to-keep-seeking-god-where-we-doubt-he-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```