Even When Your Faith Is Not Strong

One of the most revealing examples of genuine transparency in the Bible is found in Mark 9.  A desperate father brings his son to Jesus in need of a miracle.  The son is being tormented by evil spirits and there seems to be no help for him.  This father has obviously heard of Jesus and sees the Lord as his only hope.  In true humility he says to the Lord, “…if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22)

Jesus responds to the sincere plea of this gentleman by saying, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23) Then in a moment of true honesty and with his humanity on full display, the father with tears streaming down his face says, “…Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

I understand this guy!  I think he is saying, “Lord, I know your reputation and record. I have seen and heard what you have done for others.  I do not doubt your power, but I am having a tough time believing you are going to do it for me.”  There is no attempt to be super spiritual or something he is not; he simply admits his struggle to believe for this long-dealt-with situation.  He knows Jesus can, but will He?

Most of us, if we are honest, can say we have been where this father is in Mark 9.  We would never admit to doubting the power of God because we do not.  We have witnessed, and even experienced, His divine intervention many times.  But the storm we are presently going through has been raging for quite a long time and there seems to be no end in sight.  We have prayed but no change of any size has happened.  We do not want to verbally express it, but we are starting to wonder if this prayer will ever be answered.  We believe God is able…but nothing happening right now indicates He is going to.

If it has not happened to you yet – get ready!  At some point in your walk with God your faith will be tested.  A bad doctor’s report…a fractured relationship…a sudden reversal in your finances – these and other negative life-situations lead to some very anxious moments where your faith experiences the fire.  But, of everything that can happen, nothing causes a believer more stress than to pray – earnestly pray and believe – but it seems the walls of Heaven are brass, and you simply cannot break through.  You believe, but your circumstances have inserted some unbelief into the equation.  What do you do now?

The answer to this important question is actually not as difficult as the enemy of your soul wants you to think it is. The omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal God is also your Heavenly Father who loves you more than you can comprehend.  He cares deeply about your need and is concerned about everything that concerns you.  When times of trial come your way, the devil wants to confuse you and make you afraid, but God has a simple strategy to bring you through to a place of peaceful confidence where His will is understood and can be embraced.  It is discovered through four simple steps:

1.  Trust God.  God is good.  He loves us and everything He does is for our good.  He has the big picture of our life in mind at all times and His sovereignty is never lost in our situation.  Your present reality does not define you.  You are and always will be who and what God says.  Our beautiful and wonderful God can always be trusted!

2.  Listen to God.  God has a good plan for your life.  This plan can only be received through intimacy with the Father.  During these sacred moments of communion with Him, He teaches and shapes us.  The lessons He wants us to learn during these times are revelatory and life changing.  His Word and will come alive as we listen intently for His Spirit. 

3.  Keep Looking to God.  Do not give up!  God is not restricted to your facts or the expert’s opinion.  Regardless of your present landscape, do not stop praying…press through your unbelief…keep your head up – even through tears and fears.  God does His best work when things seem impossible.  His answer to your prayer will come.

4. Trust God.  The journey to breakthrough is enveloped in trusting God.  True peace and contentment only come when the warring ends and the trusting begins.  This does not mean you accept your present situation, but it does mean you accept the Father’s perfect will for your life.  This can be done when you become convinced His plan for you is nothing short of amazing. I say it again – our beautiful and wonderful God can be trusted.

The story I have referenced from Mark 9 is so encouraging because we see the only response Jesus gave to the visible humanity of a broken father was to heal the man’s son.  There was no rebuke for the unbelief and no theological discourse on the importance of faith – Jesus just met the need and brought an end to the life-long struggle for this family.  Even when faith was weak, His power and compassion were at work.

This lesson was made clear to the disciples of Jesus one night while they were sailing on the Sea of Galilee.  The story in Mark 4 tells us as they made their way across the sea this particular evening, a great storm arose.  This storm was so intense the disciples feared for their lives.  They did all they knew to do to keep the ship together and heading in the right direction, but it looked like in spite of their best efforts they were going down in that storm.  Finally, someone remembered Jesus was onboard – asleep in the back of the boat – but was not helping them.  In desperation, they cried out “Lord, get up and help us!  We are about to die!  Don’t you care?”

The Scripture says Jesus got up, calmly surveyed the situation, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.”  The storm immediately stopped and there was perfect calm.

The disciples in this story did not respond to this horrific storm in faith – they were scared to death!  This lack of faith did not keep Jesus from intervening – He got up at their cry and rebuked the wind and waves.  Jesus did this – not because of their great faith – but because they (the disciples) were His!  His love for them brought His miraculous intervention.

The two stories from the Bible in this article have a common denominator – real people faced real situations with weak faith at best.  Of course God would have been more pleased if great faith had been in operation, but the realities of the situation did not stop the love of God from being demonstrated. This reality was simple – God knew the hearts of these men and they belonged to Him!  He moved for them – not because of their faith but because of His love.

You, too, are dearly loved by the Lord.  He knows you – all of your issues, all of your disappointments, all of your fears.  He calls you His own and the reason for your creation has not changed. He wants to give you fulfillment in a life of God-awareness and blessing. He will never fail to keep His Word to you – you can count on it.

Without sounding harsh, the choice is actually yours.  You can seclude yourself in a world of unfulfilled dreams or you can wrap yourself up in the love of a Father who will never let you down.  He is waiting for your decision.  You can cry out to Him anytime and He will hear you and help you…even when your faith is not strong.