Honestly Have You Ever Doubted?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s scripture, about Jesus healing a boy, is sandwiched in between the story of the Transfiguration, that mountaintop experience, and the passage of Jesus telling His disciples, as they travel in Galilee, that He was going to be betrayed, murdered and that He would after three days rise, alive. We go from a light-radiant cloud, a wave of energy, to the earthly reality of a boy writhing on the ground in a seizure, to the core of what we are to believe as Christians. Here in our misgivings, we make the journey from waves of light to particles of dust. Here we are moved from seeing in our mind’s eye and from there to believing. But on the way we must move to a place of truth. And here we confess our beliefs… “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” Friends, it is crazy to deny the truth. We are to acknowledge our fears. Lord, I believe, help me, help us all in our worries. So it is silly to deny this reality. Honestly Have You Ever Doubted?
Scripture: 14When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16He asked them, ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ 17Someone from the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.’ 19He answered them, ‘You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ 20And they brought the boy* to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it threw the boy* into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus* asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. 22It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ 23Jesus said to him, ‘If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.’ 24Immediately the father of the child cried out,* ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ 25When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’ 26After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand.
Mark 9:14-27 (NRSV)
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV)
Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24 (NRSV)
Message: Now if I asked you if you believed it all, practiced it all as perfect examples of our Christian faith, how many would raise your hands? How about if I asked you how many have ever doubted our faith? Come on be honest. The truth is pretty clear. There is a faith and a lack of faith in all of us. But there is a deeper reality here and it is that in the love among believers there are to be no “ifs”. It is absolutely silly to ask if God can help us; ‘If” God can heal a child with epilepsy; “If” God can remove the evil in our lives. Friends, “If'” God can rise from the dead, all the rest is easy! So forgive me for pointing out the obvious. We all doubt and it effects our performance. But perhaps the best way to get faith is to admit we do not have it. And then realize that it is always in our best interest to believe. One of my friends, Malcolm put it this way. “Faith is a gift, believing is a gift and God is in control of the journey.” So trust in God to deliver. Receive the gift. Trust in God. Know that when we trust in ourselves we are doomed to disappointment. Know that when we trust in even our friends, they fail us. Know that when we trust in money it falls through our fingers. Know that when we trust in our reputation, a slanderous comment may explode in our face. But trust in God and we will never to be confounded. So, doubt all you want friends but never stop doing, never stop trusting anyway. Believe that doubt is natural but can be overcome. Friends, do not be powerless like the disciples in today’s story. Know that God is not powerless but in control. Know that it is insanity to try to control what is in God’s preview.
Pray we make a commitment to trust God more. Pray we are honest about our faith. Pray we express our desire. Pray we express our hopes. Pray we fess up to our hesitant hope, wavering wisdom and faltering faith. Pray we bring our weakness to Him so He can use it for His purpose. Pray we let Him make us strong. Pray we make up our mind to let God’s solution prevail. Pray we realize Jesus is the way to growing strong. Pray that God use our doubt as a means of making us stronger in our faith and drawing us closer. Pray that we realize that the struggle is necessary. Pray we survive our periods of doubt by honestly acknowledging them in the community of believers. Pray we turn to God for help and receive what He offers in that moment. Pray we are not double-minded. Pray that we thrive because we have conquered doubt.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 