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Scripture: Mark 9:20–24
Key Verse: “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24)
We sometimes struggle with doubt when crises strike. Stomach churn. Thoughts tangle. We freeze up. We try to make sense of things. Racing minds probe for answers as we seek to understand God’s purpose in our circumstances. Our faith in the strength and goodness of God wavers.
I wish I could say that followers of Jesus have unwavering faith 100 percent of the time. But like the father who brought his child to Jesus, all of us have had to say, “I believe; help my unbelief.” When difficult circumstances do not change quickly, we may think, “Surely, the Lord does not want things this way. I’ll _________.” We come up with lots of creative actions to fill in this blank, ways to “help” the Lord instead of trusting him to respond and work things out.
Almost always, our fill-in-the-blank actions run actions run ahead of God’s design. We rush into relationships or force an unwanted idea upon friends. We make our own plans. We doubt God’s goodness when situations do not unfold the way we envision. We question God’s timing, doubt his authority and our doubt weakens the firm foundation of faith.
Faith is not a static thing. We move from “maybe God is present” to “I trust God totally!” This is normal. We can rest assured that our Lord knows the depth of our heart and the breadth of our struggles. Like the father who cried out, “help my unbelief,” we can count on Jesus to respond in love and power!
Consider
How would your day change if you had unwavering faith in God’s goodness? With what areas of your life do you need to trust God?
Practice
Find a place and posture where you’re comfortable (like in your closet on your knees or in the backyard laying in the grass), and express your doubts out loud to God. When we humbly talk to God about our struggle with doubt, we step onto the path toward overcoming unbelief. When we admit our doubt, the Lord can begin his work within us.
Chat
Lord God, help me overcome my unbelief. I do have faith but help my faith to grow. Amen.
