Believe

Read:

Mark 9:23-24

Reflect:

Many people mistakenly think that faith (putting your trust in God) is one of those things that you either have or not. An all-or-nothing type of thing. Like an on/off switch. Today’s passage tells us a different story.

A boy’s father asks Jesus to take pity on them and help them if He can. Jesus replies ‘everything is possible for one who believes’ (v. 23). The boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ Jesus does not send the man away for lack of faith, but heals his son. It shows us that Jesus didn’t expect a full measure of faith from the man, but that a partial faith was enough at that time.

The same applies to us. We are not expected to have mountain-moving faith right now, but we are expected to have enough faith to take the next step of faith. And then the next. And then the next. 

In the same way that courage is not the absence of fear, I believe that faith is not the absence of doubt, but the intentional placing of trust in God and His Word in spite of our doubt. As we do this more often, our faith will grow.

Respond:

Lord Jesus, thank you that you do not expect me to be perfect in faith all at once. Forgive me for the times I chose not to put my trust in you. I echo this man’s prayer: I believe; help me overcome my unbelief. Amen.

Remind:

"God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go."

~Tony Evans~

Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash