Help My Unbelief
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
In the Bible, we are given many promises by God. We are promised salvation from our sins if we repent and are baptized (Acts 2:38). If we can overcome our sins, God will give us the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Another promise is that we can overcome temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). God will help us through those times. We are told that we are never alone, that God will be with us (Philippians 4:9). Finally, we receive promises that God will rescue us during our trials and tribulations (2 Peter 2:9).
All of these promises are made to us by God. And we know that God is faithful to His promises. According to the Hebrews author, this is what anchors us (Hebrews 6:17-19). We have been assured of all these things by the Creator of the universe. That should give us great comfort.
And yet, sometimes underneath our belief can be an undercurrent of doubt. Like Peter, we take our eyes off of Jesus and instead focus on the turmoil around us. If we are not careful, we can let that doubt sweep us away. We allow it to burrow into our hearts. Our focus becomes removed from the promises of God. Instead, we pay attention to all the reasons to doubt those very same promises. What if it doesn’t apply to me? What if I can’t get through these trials and temptations? I’ve not been able to overcome them before, what makes me think I can do it now? I’m not worthy of forgiveness or help in these trials, am I?
In Mark 9, you see a father pleading with Jesus to heal a boy from an evil spirit. The boy was plagued with this for a very long time. The disciples had tried to get it out and had failed. Jesus tells this father that it can happen if he believes. The father cries out that he does believe. However, there are still nagging doubts in his mind, things he wonders about. And so he cries out to Jesus not just that he believed, but to grant him the strength to focus on the promise. He wanted help to strengthen his belief and to tune out the fears.
It is right for us to pray to God this way as well. God already knows the doubts that haunt us. It is not a mystery to Him. We should not hide from God due to our doubts. It is better to be honest and confess them to God. It is only in the presence of God and His glory that such doubts become resolved. We turn our attention to His promises. That vision allows us to negate our concerns and live in faith.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24