HELP MY UNBELIEF!
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
MARK 9:24
Most fear is fear of the unknown. We don’t know what lies ahead of us, so we become apprehensive. Our imaginations can magnify problems until they seem insurmountable. We need a sound mind to see things in proper perspective. That’s why God gave us His Holy Spirit: to enable us to see things as God sees them.
Fear is no excuse to disobey God. There’s no reason to live in fear when you have the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit within you. Fear will enslave you, but Christ has come to set you free. Ask God to free you from any fear you’re experiencing and to open your eyes. As He reveals the reality of your situation, He will enable you to continue in obedience.
Faith is based on reality. While fear comes from what we don’t know, faith is based on what we do know. In other words, faith is trust. It’s confidence in someone or something you know in the midst of what you don’t know. We don’t live recklessly in ignorance. Before we trust others with something precious to us, we first try to find out whether they’re trustworthy.
A father came to Jesus asking to know God in such a way that he could trust Him to cure his son. His son had been possessed by an evil spirit since early childhood. The father didn’t know Jesus well, but he’d heard and seen enough to convince him that if there was any hope for his son, it lay with Jesus. In desperation he cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus’ response was to heal his son. The desperate father had correctly gone to Jesus with his problem even though he was struggling with his faith.
When you’re struggling to believe, that’s not the time to avoid Christ or to be ashamed of your struggle. You’ll never increase your faith by not going to Jesus. Rather, Jesus wants to help you with your belief. Not only can He can meet your need, but He will also give you faith to trust Him to provide for you.
If you’re struggling to believe God can take care of your need, it’s because you don’t know Him as He wants you to. Go to Him and allow Him to convince you of His ability to meet every need you’ll ever face. It’s by faith that God’s mighty power is released into a Christian’s life (see Heb. 11:32-35).
God wants to build your understanding of Him until your faith is sufficient to trust and obey Him in each situation (see Mark 9:23-25). The moment you turn to Him with a genuine commitment to rid yourself of doubt, God will match your doubt with a revelation of Himself that can convince you of His faithfulness.
When one of Jesus’ own disciples struggled to believe, Jesus revealed Himself in such a way that every doubt vanished (see John 20:27-28). You can resolve your lack of faith only in God’s presence. He must reveal Himself in such a way that any doubt you might have is removed. Jesus did this with His disciples (see Matt. 8:26). He involved them in a consistent, growing relationship with Himself. Jesus took them through teaching to small miracles, to large miracles, and to the resurrection. Jesus knew the redemption of the world rested on His disciples’ believing Him. What does God want to do in the lives of those around you that waits on your trust in Him and the removal of your doubts?
Don’t hide your doubts or questions. Give them to Jesus. How do you struggle to believe in God, God’s goodness, or God’s power?
Make a list of specific areas in which you’re fearful or anxious. Then identify a specific need you’ll give to Jesus instead of worrying about it.
What was the most meaningful statement or Scripture you read today?
Reword the statement or Scripture into a prayer of response to God.
What does God want you to do in response to today’s study? [Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby (2014). Seven Realities for Experiencing God – Member Book. LifeWay Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]