Doubts and Despair

Last week while I was reading during my devotional time a passage which I had read many times before came to life in a new way.  In fact, there was one phrase in this passage which leapt off of the page as I read it.  The story comes from Mark 9 and follows the time when Jesus and three of the disciples came down from the mountain where they had experienced the transfiguration of Jesus and the appearance of Elijah and Moses.  Several translations state that immediately Jesus and the three disciples were met with a crowd of people along with the remainder of the disciples.  Jesus realized there was an argument taking place between the religious leaders of the day and the disciples.  After inquiring about the reason for the argument Jesus is met by the father of a young boy who had been experiencing seizures.  The father pleads, actually begs with tears, for Jesus to heal his son.  At that point the father chooses an interesting phrase to ask Jesus for help.    He said, “If you can do anything have compassion on us and help us.”  What we see is a father’s desperation for help in a situation beyond his control.  Apparently, the father had exhausted all measures to find a cure for his son.  The father was willing to do anything for his son’s life to be preserved.

Something of great interest takes place in the next few sentences.  The father realizes this is not an ordinary man to whom he is speaking when Jesus replies to him, “If you (Jesus) can?  Everything is possible to the one who believes.”  At that moment we see a change begin to take place in the father.  There is a glimmer of hope being held out to him.  The father recognizes that Jesus not only has the desire but the ability to help his son.  The next phrase is the one which I find so astonishing, “I do believe! help my unbelief.”  I find that this simple statement sums up the life of so many of us.  We do believe!  But we need Jesus to cast out the unbelief in our hearts and minds.  We believe in Jesus but we doubt because of our weakness.  We doubt because of the enemies deception which is so ever-present around us.  We doubt because we don’t see how God would care about someone as insignificant as us. 

When one does a word study of the word help in verse 24 he would find that the verb is an active one that implies a continual action.  In other words the father is asking Jesus to not just help him this one time but keep on helping me so he will not lose his belief/faith.  How many times have I needed this same type of help?  Each day I continue to need Jesus to boost my faith.  Each day I am attacked by the enemy’s arrows of doubt and defeat.  However, I do not have to stay in that position.  Oh Satan would love for me to remain mired in my self-doubt and pity, but God has called us to experience much more than a self-defeated life cast down in despair.  God has called us to a life of victory in Him.  What we must do is respond as this father.  We must come to Jesus with an honest approach saying, “I do believe!  But please help me, and continue helping me, in my times of weakness, my times of unbelief.” 

Maybe you are facing a mountainous obstacle at this time in your life which causes your faith to waiver.  Remember the cry of the father “Help my unbelief.”  Maybe you have exhausted all of your resources trying to deal with a difficult or trying situation.  Remember the words of the father “Help my unbelief.”  Maybe you are mired in the muck of self-doubt, self-defeat, and self-destruction thinking no one, not even Jesus, cares.  Remember the words of the father “Help my unbelief.”  While the enemy has many weapons to assault the children of God, his power is limited and he will not succeed in defeating a child of God who summons the assistance of the victorious Jesus Christ.  Cry out today “Help me in the times of my unbelief.” 

Claiming the Promises of God,

 

Pastor Ric

“Immediately the father of the boy cried out, "I do believe! Help my unbelief." Mark 9:24