*Inspired by Mark 9:14-29
“I do believe; help my unbelief!”
How many times has both parts of this come out of my mouth? “I do believe” and “help my unbelief”? Do they ever really both come out together? This sentence comes out of the mouth of a father in Mark 9. This father brings his son, who is demon-possessed, directly to Jesus, as Jesus’ disciples are unable to drive the demon out. When Jesus arrives on the scene, the demon immediately recognizes Jesus. The desparate father asks,
22 ...“But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
"IF”. The father is going out on a limb and wondering if Jesus can do anything about this.
23 "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Jesus recognized this man’s doubt immediately. The father’s reply to Jesus Christ is just remarkable here.
24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
I love this response that the father gives. Of course, the story ends in this passage with Jesus showing His power and driving the demon out of the boy. But what is so incredible to me is that the father totally knows that he is doubting Jesus’ ability to drive out this demon. He not only doubts the power of Jesus Christ here, but he verbalizes this to Jesus. “I do believe; help my unbelief!” He acknowledges both his belief and unbelief. He brings his doubts directly to Jesus - he does NOT hide them.
How often do I hide my doubts? Monthly. Weekly. Daily. Hourly. I put up a front all the time that “all is well” and “I have everything together” and “God’s got ALL of this, I am not worried about this at all”. I often stop at the “I do believe” and I forget the "help my unbelief" portion. I forget or neglect to bring all of my doubt and lay it at the feet of Christ. But that is exactly where it belongs. At the feet of Christ.
Because the truth is, I don’t have it all together. Life is messy. Things get out of my control. I have worried and anxious thoughts, frequently. I don’t always lay my doubt at the feet of Jesus, but I’ve become really good at either ignoring it or covering it up with a “fix it” attitude. But it’s okay to have doubt, as long as you put where it belongs. You don't kick your feet up, sit back, and hang out in it. No more trying to sweep it under the refrigerator. No more trying to take control of your doubt. Set it at the feet of Jesus, because He already knows your thoughts and your intentions. Bring your doubts to Him and let Him do the work.
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Scripture References
*Mark 9:14-29
14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." 19 "You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." 24 Immediately they boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
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