Lord, I Believe;
Mark 9:24 
Lord, I Believe;
Mark 9:24 In the gospel of St. Mark, the ninth chapter and the fourteenth through the
twenty-ninth verses, we find Jesus ministering to a man and his son who the
Bible says, had a dumb spirit. The father explains to Jesus how he brought his
son to His disciples, but they were unable to cast the dumb spirit out of the
young man. Jesus then answers him and says; “O faithless generation, how
long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?” What I
believe Jesus was asking then and is still asking today is what will it take
before you have the faith to believe and receive answers to prayer? How many
blind eyes, deaf ears, and withered hands must be healed and restored before
you can believe? With all of the miracles you have seen, heard of and even
experienced for yourself you still struggle to believe. Many within the Body of
Christ appear to have more faith in their doctor than in God. We trust and
put more money into our savings accounts and retirement plans trusting more in
their ability than in the ability of God our Jehovah Jireh to supply our needs
and heal our bodies according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Perhaps
you are facing a negative situation today and, like this father, you have
brought it to Jesus hoping that he can help you in some way. Well, I believe
that his answer then is the same to you and I today; “If though canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
As we read the twenty-fourth verse, we see that this man is in the same place
that we find ourselves in many times replying with tears in his eyes;
“Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” The man is not
contradicting himself in his statement, he is merely reckoning with the fact
that although he has enough faith to believe God for many things, he yet finds
himself struggling to have the faith to believe him in this particular
situation - the healing of his son.
Many of us within the Body of Christ can believe God for one hundred dollars if
we needed it, or to heal us of a headache should we get one. But if the need
were for ten thousand dollars or the Doctor says “cancer”, then we
might find ourselves struggling, as this father did, with tears in our eyes
asking God to help us in our unbelief. Lord I believe in your supernatural
ability to do so many different things in my life, but at this moment I am
having difficulty finding the faith to believe you in this situation that
I’m facing today. Don’t feel bad or even alone because you are not.
Many spirit-filled believers struggle in the faith, that’s why Paul called
it the “good fight of faith” in 1 Timothy 6:12. This father in Mark,
chapter 9 was willing to confess his unbelief, weakness, and lack of faith.
God, then because of His steadfast love, everlasting grace, and mercy moved on
his behalf. Telling God how much you believe is nice, but His strength is made
perfect in your weakness when you confess and ask Him to help you in your areas
of unbelief.
Jesus did not condemn or reject this man for his unbelief, but rather because
of his confession Jesus had mercy upon him and healed his son, which in turn
also strengthened his unbelief. God is a good God!
I am not ashamed to say Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. You cannot
tell God anything that He does not already know. But, it is only through
telling Him or confessing our sins, weaknesses, and failures that we are
forgiven and in position to receive the help that we need and experience the
miracle working power of God in our lives. ”Help Thou mine unbelief.”
E.I. Osborne, Jr.