Reason vs. Faith

THIS WEEK’S FOCUSED SCRIPTURE

Mark 9:14-24 14When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.

16“What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

19Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

THOUGHTS FROM WADE

How often does reasoning get in the way of your faith? I don’t know about you, but I can Identify with the father in Mark 9. Here we see a man who is desperate for the move of God. Have you been there before? Are you there now? Jesus over and over again in scripture challenges those following Him to INCREASE their faith, and over and over again we see men and women still struggling with it. For me this brings comfort. If the men and women who walked with Jesus had moments of doubt, moments of frustration, moments of weakness, then maybe God is okay when we face the same struggles. I love the honesty in the father’s response. This is as real as it gets. Listen to the gut- wrenching honesty as he cries out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” I believe this is often what God is looking for from you and me. Not to act like everything is just okay, but to get gut-wrenching honest with Him. He already knows how we feel anyway.

We serve a big God. One who is capable of anything! One who can heal the sick and help the blind to see. One who can raise the dead and cast out demons. Yet One who is still personal enough to hear the cries of His people. One who can heal your marriage, rescue your children, give you a purpose, and save you from your sins. And yet we know this, and we still wrestle with our faith. Today I encourage you to seek God from your very core. Be honest with Him. If you’re struggling with your faith today then just as the father was real with Jesus, I encourage you to be as well. Maybe this father’s response was exactly what He is looking for from you: “I do believe but help me overcome my unbelief!”