05/12/2022
There is no cry for help that we can utter which is more important than when we call out to God asking Him to help us believe. If we are seeking God, and Jesus Christ, but find ourselves unable to bridge that gap between us and Them… it is time to pray; not simply to know who God is, or to believe that Jesus actually walked this world, but to believe with all our heart, mind, souls, and strength that Yaweh is the one true God, and that Jesus, His Son, lived, suffered, died, and was resurrected, so that our sins would be forgiven, and we could have a loving, and righteous, relationship with Him. Jesus did this so that our life with God would be restored, and it would be peaceful, joyous, and eternal.
“And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.””
Mark 9:23 ESV
We are told many times that believing is important, and in the gospel of Mark we are told the story of a father whose son was possessed by an evil spirit, and how he brought the boy to Jesus for help. When the father was told that it was possible to rebuke this spirit, but that he had to believe he immediately cried out for help in doing so. Listen…
“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””
Mark 9:24 ESV
We too need help when it comes to believing, and having faith. The Bible is filled with passages that tell us we need to pray WITH faith, and that we need to believe, and to HAVE faith, but this verse in Mark is the only verse I know of where we see an example of someone asking for help in believing, and there is only one other verse that deals specifically with asking for faith…
“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!””
Luke 17:5 ESV
So when was the last time we prayed for God’s help in believing, or asked Jesus for our faith to be increased? We know that to have eternal life we must believe…
““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 ESV
And we also know that we must have faith so that we can move mountains, or have our prayers answered…
“And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.””
Matthew 21:21-22 ESV
So why are we not praying for help in faith, and belief, every time we pray? Are we too proud to admit that we might need God’s help in something so basic to our divine relationship with Him? Are we afraid that by doing so that we are not perfect in this regard, and that by asking for help we appear to be admitting some degree of doubt?
“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””
Matthew 14:30-31 ESV
When Jesus grabbed Peter’s hand and saved him from sinking into the sea, then told him that he doubted, and had little faith, he was not convicting him, or damning him, no, he was encouraging him to seek more faith, and to overcome the doubt that had undone him. Peter is like us, and the man with the possessed son, we do this by asking God to help us in our unbelief. As for our faith, we should be like the disciples and ask Jesus to increase our faith. The shame is not in asking for help, but in needing help and being too proud to ask for it.
“… For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””
Luke 18:14 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for teaching us to ask you for help in our unbelief, and faith. Thank you for showing us in the gospel of Jesus that there is no shame in seeking your help in this way. Scripture tells us that we are saved by our belief, and faith, but moreover it says that we are saved by your gift of grace. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has given us the seed of faith, and the makings of our belief in you. Praised be your name for hearing our prayers as we ask for help in perfecting our belief, and removing all doubt from our faith. Merciful are you Father, who shows us our shortcomings, and helps us to overcome them. Great is your love for us that overcomes our unbelief, and doubt. Hear now our prayer that you would help us in our unbelief, and strengthen us in faith. Wash us in the blood of your Son Jesus, and transform us into your children who are worthy of eternity with you. Seat us thus at your table where we will not doubt your provision, and always believe in your loving kindness, and goodness, forevermore.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:4-5 ESV
Rich Forbes