Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Read the full account in the Gospel of Mark HERE

“The sole bridge between frail humanity and the all-sufficiency of God is faith.”
—J.R. Edwards

"Help My Unbelief"

In Mark 9:14-29 we read the story of a father who brings his son to Jesus for healing. The boy is possessed by an evil spirit that causes terrible episodes—akin to grand mal seizures. The disciples have tried to heal him without success, so they bring him before Christ.

We can hear the desperation in the father’s voice as he appeals to the mercy of Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus responds in surprise,

“‘If you can!’ All things are possible for one who believes.”

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

Suddenly it is clear that the father is aware of his own weakness. There is nothing he can do to heal his son, and he can barely even muster the faith that Jesus requires. And this is precisely when Christ chooses to reveal His power.

Jesus was not waiting for the father’s faith to fulfil certain criteria; He was waiting for him to surrender his frailty to God’s ultimate steadfastness. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). Even our best efforts to believe in Jesus must be stirred and sustained by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

If you are struggling with doubt, plagued by fear that you aren’t strong enough to really trust God, take courage. You need only pray, “I believe; help my unbelief!” We can confess the weakness of our faith, comforted by our confidence that “God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

How to pray...

Pray about areas where you tend to doubt, or that God will reveal your weaknesses so that he might heal them.
Pray that LBC would be a safe, supportive place for people to wrestle with doubt and tough questions about faith; that unbelievers in our church can belong before they believe.
Pray for our small groups, many of which include not-yet-believers. Pray for wisdom for the leaders, grace for group members, and for faith in the hearts of those who do not know Christ.

For the Family

Share together as a family any questions that you have about your faith. Are there things that you have heard that you don’t understand? Is there something about God or something in the Bible that doesn’t make sense? Is there something that you have a hard time believing?

It is ok to have questions and doubts. If there is something that you can’t answer as a family and you would like further insight in, reach out to a friend, pastor, elder, small group leader or staff member to come alongside you, pray for you and give you guidance.

As you pray today, thank the Lord for a church family that cares about learning about Jesus together. Pray for Pastor Mike, Pastor Joe and your SPLASH teachers as they teach and lead.

Contributors

"Help My Unbelief" - Katie Pollard

Katie is the administrator and communications director for LBC. Katie and her husband, Joel, moved to Orlando from Nashville, TN in 2014, when Joel became the Director of Worship at LBC. They both grew up in Carrollton, GA and have been leading worship together since their youth group days. They were married in 2011 and have two children, Sam and Evie.

"For the Family" - Michelle Crouse

Michelle Crouse has served as the director of LBC's children's ministry—SPLASH Kids—since the end of 2011. She and her husband Joshua were married in 2002 and have 2 children. Michelle grew up outside of Boston and graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She loves being with kids and loves the opportunity to be a part of teaching children how much they are loved by God, and helping them grow in their understanding of what that means.