I Do Believe, But

 Lord, I believe; help Thou, mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24b)

The desperate, brokenhearted father brought his demon-possessed son, who could not hear nor speak, to Jesus. The foul demon repeatedly tried to destroy its host since he was a small child. The boy’s father asked Jesus for mercy and, if He could, help his son. When Jesus addressed his faith, the man replied he believed but needed help to overcome his unbelief. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, commanded it to leave the child, and never reenter him. The onlookers thought the boy was dead, but Jesus took him by the hand, and he stood, healed (v. 27).

You may have experienced situations where you knew without a doubt God could do anything He chooses but wondered other times if He would. Faith in God can increase rapidly, have a growth spurt, just “eek” along, or stay at a standstill. The development of our confidence in God occurs as we exercise it. Jesus graciously healed the boy, though the Bible is silent about the father’s gratitude or if he trusted Jesus as Lord of his life.

God doesn’t always heal, no matter how great our faith is, and when He does, it’s sometimes in ways different than what we expected. As life’s circumstances test and stretch our confidence in God, perseverance—steadfast persistence—is in the making. Not one opportunity lies idle while God hones our character and builds our trust in Him. While we may sometimes cry out to our heavenly Father when doubts arise, He understands our weaknesses. Still, He wants us to continue growing spiritually and trust Him without wavering. To do this and grow in the knowledge of Him, we must first receive God’s salvation through the gift of His Son, Jesus.