Mark 9:20-24 -- “And they brought the boy to Him. When the spirit saw Him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ ”
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Consider the father. Aren’t we all just like him, at times? Honestly, aren’t we just like him much more often than not?
Admittedly, this is a scary situation. For those of you who are reading this and have children of your own, it is easy to relate. This child has an illness, a disorder, which has remained uncured for his whole life. As a father of three girls, it is a very unnerving situation to think about. What would I do in this same situation? If doctor’s and their means have failed, would I not also seek out the miracle? A man has been roaming the countryside, healing all who come to Him. Would I not also take the chance that this might be the way to heal my precious child? But, I’ve been disappointed so many times, for so many years. I would probably come to this Man, this Great Healer, filled with doubt.
The father’s statement, his heart, is one we all share. We believe, yet we are unwilling or unable to live in the fullness of our faith in God and the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. Our faith is strong, but it is not complete. A portion of unbelief remains with us at all times. No matter how strong our belief, we still struggle with turning ourselves over completely to His plan for us. We hold onto this world, we maintain a frightful grip on using our own efforts to accomplish our goals, provide for our needs. Our faith grows faint because we are scared that when the miracle is needed, it won’t come.
But if we really think about it, there are miracles all around us. Some of them are bright, brief flashes. A small child escapes his mother’s grasp and runs into the street, but she catches and pulls him back the instant before he enters an oncoming car’s path. This is a miracle of seconds. Some of them take longer. The friend who goes through a long and arduous struggle with illness, at times seeming like she will lose the battle and slip away from this world, but the doctors’ treatments and care bring her back to health. This is a miracle of months. Others seem to take forever. The relationship between a parent and child, torn asunder in their early life together due to a divorce, but reconciled back together in relationship as the blessing of this parting is revealed over time. This is a miracle of years.
Then why do we struggle? Why are we just like the father? When we pray, our own hearts are often shouting out in fear, “I believe; help my unbelief!”.
Consider Jesus. Despite the heaping portion of the father’s unbelief, He does not hold His blessings back. Yes, He does take the opportunity to rebuke for just a brief moment, reminding us that “All things can be done for the one who believes.”. But blessedly, He is perfect and does not let the father’s lack of full faith get in the way of bringing the boy back to complete health. He does heal the boy, adding another miracle to the long list of those seen during His time on earth. A miracle which He knows will bring more hatred from the Pharisees and cause them to arrest, torture and kill Him.
We believe in God and His power to make miracles happen, but we need that extra bit of help to overcome our unbelief. Jesus is that extra help. We can call on Him to bring us the final distance from the end of our road of faith, along the broken path of doubt, gloriously to our Father God at the destination of our journey. Jesus is our friend, our teacher our brother, but most importantly, our Savior. He heals our wounds of fear, uncertainty and confusion.
So, when we find ourselves in that frightening position of doubt, call on Jesus to help your unbelief. He is the one who can bring us home to our Father God. He completes our faith and delivers miracle upon miracle upon miracle, no matter how many times we ask, or how many times we fail to fully believe.
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