Scripture: Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Spiritual B3:
Have you ever wrestled with the question, “Do I have enough faith for my prayers to be answered?” In wrestling with that question, the Lord began to show me that I was now the father in our Biblical story. The statement “Lord I believe; help my unbelief”, is a glimpse into the heart, soul, and mind of every person of prayer at one point or another in our lives as a result of: Faith Fatigue, Faith Frustration, and Feeling like our Faith has Fallen short and Failed us.
I found myself feeling like my faith was exhausted, worn out, and on the brink of collapse. After everything I tried to turn situations around, it was as if the more I tried the further I was from what I was seeking to attain. It’s like I was running a race. Before you begin the race, the rules are established, you are given your lane, and the finish line is clearly marked out. The gun is fired to start the race, but as you’re running the race the rules keep changing and the finish line keeps moving further and further down the track. At some point you just get tired and want to quit. That’s what the father was going through as well. He heard about this man named Jesus and his band of misfits for disciples who were now also performing miracles. When you finally find the disciples, they can’t find a solution.
God began to show me that Faith Fatigue quickly turns into Faith Frustration. Look at the father, who forcefully injects himself into the conversation out of faith fatigue and frustration, when Jesus was clearly speaking to the scribes. I found myself making uncharacteristic outburst, being emotionally unstable, and saying a lot of things I would later regret for the same reasons. I believe the father believed in his heart that Jesus could do something about the situation, but after everything he had experienced since the boy’s childhood, the fear of failure began to tug at the garment of his faith. How would you feel, after watching the disciple’s failure, when the allies in the crowd finally bring your son to Jesus, then immediately the spirit convulses him, throws him to the ground, and he begins wallowing and foaming at the mouth? And then instead of directly dealing with your hurting son, Jesus begins asking more questions and has the nerve to say, “If you can believe…” Can you hear the father cry out through the tears, after all I’ve been through Jesus, obviously I believe, but based on what I see right now in this moment and what I’ve been through I need you to make up the difference and help my unbelief because I can’t let my faith fail?
The good news is that’s all you need, the honest admission that Lord I believe, but I need You to help me believe beyond what I can see and make up the difference. That confession is the key that will unlock the door to miracles!
CPR Kit for the Soul:
- Centering Theme: Confession is good for the soul, begin confessing the reasons why your belief and faith are fatigued, frustrated, and failing so that God can begin revealing the counterevidence of why you should believe!
- Prayer Topic: Lord I believe; help my unbelief.
- Reflection Thought: Have I allowed the failures of the disciples of Jesus to make me doubt the power of Jesus?
T3 Prayer Starter:
- Dear Lord, I confess that it all seems like too much for me, but I ask You reveal to me the counterevidence…
- Lord, reveal the signs of Your presence and Your desire to see my prayers answered…
- Lord, please help me avoid allowing the failings of Your disciples and the church to keep me from You…
