Mission Venture Ministries

“I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). 

We may think our attitude about the Lord is revealed by what we claim to believe. But when our prayers go unanswered and circumstances remain unchanged, the way we react and behave describes the true attitude about our belief. 

In our humanity most of us at times doubt when things get challenging and trying. However we must not doubt because “the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). When we are torn by such inner conflict we can never lean with confidence on God and His gracious promises. Those who are double-minded do not have the faith spoken of in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” 

Those who persevere are blessed just as James 5:11 tells us: You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. Therefore, we need to remember that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 

Job was a God-fearing man who endured the loss of his children, health, and possessions, yet he remained faithful to the Lord throughout his ordeal, despite a desperate need to know why he was so afflicted. In the midst of his suffering, Job cried out: “Oh that my request might come to pass and that God would grant my hope!” (Job 6:8). Every day he was filled with unrelenting pain, but his consolation and joy were that he had “not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10). 

The world around us that do not know their Creator, Judge and God consider Him unfair or indifferent, but this should never be the case with a true born again believer. When the Lord remains silent during our times of adversity or uncertainty, we should go to His Word to discover what it says about His character and ways. Even when our feelings seem overwhelming and our faith gets tested, we can stand firm on the facts the God loves us and wants our very best. 

Scripture tells us and instructs us that we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Meaning that even when we are unable to know what is ahead of us, we must trust the God who does. Abraham is a prime example, (Genesis 12:1-9) and we should learn to trust God like he did. When called to leave his country and family to go to a land God would show him, Abraham obeyed. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). 

The Bible teaches us so many things, and is our perfect manual for how to live our life. Each day we face the unknown, but we must trust the Lord to guide us. At times things happen to us that can seem perplexing; those are the times when we need to be still and know that God is God and that He is in total control of everything.  He is probably trying to get our attention because He loves us. In these times and situations is where we need to learn to trust Him even when we don’t know where we’re going and cannot see the outcome. 

The Lord wants us to renounce our own ways of figuring things out and instead we need to walk by faith trusting in Him. God is faithful, He cares for us and He is forever guiding, preparing us and teaching us for His honor and glory if we let Him. 

There are many situations that test our faith, and they are common to all believers. Abraham, a man with great faith followed God’s instructions to leave home and travel to Canaan. You would expect the Lord to honor such bold obedience with blessings, but it wasn’t long before Abraham faced another faith challenge, a famine (Genesis 12:10-20). This time, his faith and trust faltered. Instead of believing God would provide, he fled to Egypt and made many foolish and costly decisions. 

The next time any of us is tempted to think that God has let us down, remember that difficult decisions and our reliance on Him is one of the means He uses to strengthen our belief in Him. When circumstances seem to indicate He doesn’t care, we need to stand firmly on the truths of Scripture and fix our eyes on the Lord, who is always faithful and already knows what lies ahead. 

God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him: “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened” (Luke 11:9–10). 

There is nothing wrong in asking God for more faith when we need help from the Lord. So remember that God will hear us just as He did with when “the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). 

Most Christians can identify with this man from time to time. It is the acknowledgement of our inadequacy that allows God to work in our lives. Christians know what the Bible says, and we do trust God to take care of and direct our lives, but sometimes we are faced with something that seems to overpower our faith and we let doubt creep in. We don’t seem to have enough faith to follow Him in that moment, so we need to immediately ask for more faith. We acknowledge that even our faith comes from God; and that it is His work in our lives that enables us to believe and obey. 

We need to ask God to reveal anything in our lives that keeps Him from answering our prayers, and we must be willing to obey Him completely and His commandments in order to live a humble and holy life. 

Psalm 24:3-4 tells us: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His Holy presence? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart…” 

And Psalm 66:18-20, explains: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!” 

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