(The following is the February 22 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Mark 9 and pay close attention to verses 17-29.)
Have you ever met a person with perfect Christian faith? We are imperfect beings, never achieving perfection in this life. On the contrary, our limited, incomplete faith plainly shows before others.
Faulty faith was evident when a father brought his demon-possessed son first to the disciples and then to Jesus for healing. The disciples failed to heal the boy, and the father reported this to Jesus, who replied, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you?” (v. 19). The father continued, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (v. 22). Jesus said, “‘If you can?’ Everything is possible for the one who believes” (v. 23). The father cried, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (v. 24). Jesus then freed the boy of the demon.
We are spiritual babes when we first come to Christ. We have much to learn through his Word, life experiences, participation in the church’s community of faith, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We do not immediately change from unsaved sinners to perfect faith practitioners. Our growth continues until we see the Lord face to face. The journey has twists and turns, highs and lows; it is not a straight upward trajectory. Although our faith is imperfect, it should be stronger year by year as we know and follow Christ more closely.
Moments of doubt and questioning may occur. When they do, how should we respond? Like the boy’s desperate father, we must take our flawed faith to Jesus and cry, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Christ is a loving Savior. He wants us to grow in him. To do so, we need to stop pretending our faith is rock solid when there are times it is more like sinking sand. May we run to Jesus just as we are and let him help our unbelief. He is eager to do so.
Next Step:
Has your faith soared, stagnated, or suffered in the past year? If it has stagnated or suffered a setback, have you admitted that to God and sought his help to overcome unbelief? Now is a good time to do that.
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