Saturday, March 9, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

 

Just Being Honest

 

Mark 9:24   "I DO believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

 

 

Have you ever felt this way? You truly believe in God's promises for your life BUT in those dark recesses of your mind resides UNBELIEF......

Well, please know that you are not alone. We all experience these feelings of unbelief at times AND God understands. He even included an account in the Bible to help us deal with these feelings. Mark 9:22-24 describes the exchange between Jesus and a father who was desperately seeking a healing for his young son. The father pleads: "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." Jesus' response was   "What do you mean, 'If I can'? Anything is possible if a person believes." The father then honestly admits, "I DO believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Can you empathize with the father in today's scripture? Rather than pretending that he had full faith, the father acknowledged to Jesus that he believed but needed help in overcoming his doubt. The honesty of this man in the presence of Jesus is reassuring to me. He truly believed in Jesus' ability to heal his son, but, at the same time, his unbelief caused him to utter the words "If you can?"

I can almost imagine Jesus' expression as He repeated this father's thoughts, "If I can?" How do you think the father felt after Jesus healed his son? I am sure his disbelief was replaced by a strong faith that remained with him for the rest of his life. How can we increase our own faith in order for us to be equipped to effectively handle the trials of life? I believe that Romans 10:17 has the answer - "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

Our faith definitely increases as we draw closer to Him!

I challenge you to make every effort to get to know Him a little better each and everyday. Your unbelief will be replaced with steadfast faith even in situations that may seem hopeless. Hebrews 11:1 says that "...faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Dear Lord, I thank You that in times of distress, I can be CERTAIN that You are working on my behalf. Thank You that You have been there for me even in times that my faith has wavered. You have provided not only Your Word and but also Your presence in my life to help me strengthen my faith. I do BELIEVE that ALL things are possible through You!

I thank You Jesus for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.