This weeks Cheer Up was written and read by Derek Otte.
“I Believe, But Help My Unbelief!”-Mark 9:14-29
Right after his transfiguration, Jesus left the mountain with Peter, James and John and returned to the other disciples. (Mark 9:14) The disciples had drawn a crowd while their teacher was away and were in an argument with some teachers of religious law. There was a man with his son who was possessed by an evil spirit and Jesus’s disciples were not able to cast it out. Jesus has the boy brought before him and the boy immediately goes into convulsions and falls to the ground. After Jesus asks how long this has been going on, the father pleads with him,
“The spirit often throws him into the fire or water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us if you can.”
To this, Jesus responds,
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24 NLT
Jesus’s response here kinda makes one pause for a moment. If he were not the perfect Son of God, sinless in every way, we might hear his response as being a bit cocky and arrogant. But I think that he is just saddened that even though this man is coming to him for help, he still is on the fence about whether he believes Jesus can truly help him or not.
How often do we do that ourselves? As believers, we know that anything we ask in Jesus’s name, anything that is in accordance with the will of the Father, it will be given to us. But we still come half-heartedly. We still doubt. Now, it’s probably safe to say that this man had only heard about Jesus. He probably had never seen him perform a miracle. He’d probably just heard the stories of this wandering preacher performing miracles as he passed through the land and thought he’d ask for help since he was in the neighborhood.
Like that father, we’ve never seen Jesus in the flesh. We’ve read the accounts of his life. We’ve heard stories and have seen the evidence of him working in the lives of others. And yet we still doubt. So often we echo that father’s cry, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” What then are we to do? What does that say about us and our faith in Christ and our relationship with the Father? Are we rejected then as faithless children and cut off as illegitimate sons and daughters, no longer heirs to the kingdom of God?
Look at how Jesus responds to the father here. It’s easy to focus on the miracle here, because that’s a pretty big deal, it’s no little thing. But look at what Jesus did after the miracle. He could have rebuked the father for his lack of faith and just gone on his way. He didn’t do that. Instead, he stayed and went into the house. We don’t know for how long, maybe it was for the night; maybe it was for a few days. Scripture doesn’t tell us. And other than a very brief interaction with his disciples, we don’t know of anything that was said. But we know he went in and spent some time there.
As believers in Christ, as sons and daughters of God, we have the Holy Spirit that has come in and lives in us. He doesn’t come for the day or a season. He doesn’t come just when we need him and call for him. He is there 24/7, every day, every hour, every minute. He is our counselor, our comforter, our encourager. He is the direct line to God, from God, taking our joys, our concerns straight to God, and also speaking God’s truth into us.
As believers, God doesn’t reject us when our faith wavers. Through his Spirit, he speaks truth to us and reaffirms our faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” That’s not just a one time thing. We don’t hear the Good News one time and go boldly on with our lives. There are times when we need a reminder of what God, through Christ, has done for us, and the whole world. Remembering that can strengthen our faith.
Let me challenge you with this; if you are in a season where you feel lacking in faith, look back to what God has done for you. Look at how you have grown over the years, through the seasons of your life. Reflect on those things. Maybe get with a friend and share your stories of how your life has changed, how you’ve grown and are growing through the refining work of the Holy Spirit in you. Remembering the good God has done for you and is still doing can be a wonderful time of encouragement for yourself and for others and can rejuvenate your faith!
Cheer up, friends!