Skip to main content

Believing

              Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)

 

This is the passage that comes to mind this morning as I mentally stumble around trying to get my mind and body in gear this morning. I have sometimes joked that my grumbling is my engine trying to catch. This morning, it wasn’t so much grumbling as bumbling. I started out thinking some good thoughts:

“You and You alone are God.”

“You and You alone are Lord.”

                “You and You alone are Father…” and that’s where things shifted a little, because as my Father, it is His responsibility to care for me. And He does care for me. I believe that…

          But I don’t believe it. I believe that what He allows in my life is for my good and/or for the good of others. I believe that He loves me and guides me. But I don’t believe it. And I don’t think the problem is the hypocrisy of saying that I believe when I really don’t. I think the problem is tougher than that. I both believe and don’t believe at the same time. Maybe it’s a head/heart thing, or a soul/flesh thing, but it’s almost an echo of Romans 7. I cry with the father from the story above “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” And I mourn because I know that in the next part of the story, Jesus chides the man and His disciples for their lack of faith.

          The man cried for help, and that’s what we must do, but at the same time, we must draw our lines in the sand. We must make the decision: believe, or not believe? We must be honest about our weakness and exercise our strength. These times are not just proof that our faith is not strong, they are also signposts God gives us to tell us to exercise what faith we have.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more