I believe ; help thou mine unbelief
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief (Mark 9:24 KJV)
A man brought his child to Jesus and told Jesus if there was anything He could do to help, He should do it. Jesus said to him that all things are possible to him that believes. The father of the child, hearing these words and certainly understanding what Jesus meant, said with tears “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”. This is a cry of desperation and helplessness. He declared that he believed but requested help with his unbelief!
It may appear as though this man was confused but his words carry hidden mysteries about faith. Ever found yourself in a desperate situation where you needed to believe but felt what this man felt? You believed but were still struggling with unbelief.
I have shared before that faith and unbelief that co-exist in our hearts. They are not mutually exclusive. The classic example is that of Peter walking on water in faith and sinking at the same time by unbelief when it took the upper hand. The state of the heart where faith and unbelief exist at the same time is called doubt. Many of us today find ourselves in this place. We want to believe. We know we should believe God as Christians, yet for some reason, we just do not seem to be fully convinced of the Word.
The man is correct. We need help walking in faith. Faith comes from the Spirit and is imparted through the Word.
MEDITATE
What is doubt? What is the difference between doubt and the state of not having faith at all?
APPLY THE WORD
It takes the Spirit to accept and believe the things of God. It will take the Spirit for us to stand on the Word and not allow fear, anxiety or the instruments of unbelief to take over our hearts. We need help. And the Word of God is the faith-generator. Feed on it and grow your faith!
PRAY
Ask the Spirit to help you overcome doubt and unbelief in your life.
Free Mini E-book: From Spiritual Dryness to Flourishing
