June 1, 2023: I Believe; Help My Unbelief

"And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23–24, ESV)

Have you ever been in this place? "Lord, I believe. I think I believe. Yes, I believe, sort of. Lord! Help my unbelief!" The man in Mark 9, whose son has a mute spirit, is somewhere in the faith realm between possible and impossible. Of course, we all want to be in a place where we know all things are possible. But to get there, we have to understand a few things. We have to understand authority and that Jesus is Lord over all things. We also must understand power and that Jesus possesses the power to change things. (Luke 5:17) We must know that God is good and He cares. He has compassion for this man and his son.

Jesus, rather than rebuking the man's lack of faith, seems to jest with him, "If you can!" And then makes this powerful statement: "All things are possible for one who believes."  It is another way of saying, "Trust me. Believe that I am good and that I want your son well." 

The challenge we all face, when a crisis is knocking on our door, is getting our 'knowing' from our heads to our hearts. It is one thing to know God can, but it is another to know that God will. Knowing God will comes from knowing God. And knowing God intimately happens over time. But be encouraged, Jesus did help the Father's unbelief and his son.