Charles Spurgeon once stated, “unbelief robs God of His glory in every way.” As harsh as his claim might sound, it holds a weight of truth that most of us are hesitant to carry. Whether it is doubting the existence of God, the goodness of God, or the provision of God, etc., we all fight the wearisome battle of unbelief. However, finding contentment in unbelief is a very easy posture to settle in. Its opponent, on the other hand, is a much harder battle to win; but Believer, trust me when I say that it is a battle worth fighting.
In Mark 9 we see an unnamed man come before Jesus and humbly plead for the healing of his demon possessed son. He goes on to say, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” In response, Jesus replies, “’If you can’! All things are possible for the one who believes!” What we see next is something that we must take note of. When this unnamed man recognized his unbelief, he immediately and honestly pleads with Jesus to fill the gap: “I believe, help my unbelief!”
Where weak faith does exist, this is what true humility humbly cries. Notice that he is not asking Jesus to excuse his unbelief, nor to preserve it; but rather help his unbelief, diminish and overcome it; he asks for Jesus to turn his unbelief into belief. This father demonstrates raw faith combined with the confession that he needed Christ to attain the far more perfect faith that he craved. Could you say the same?
Often times we exhaust all options before sheepishly going to the One who has the power to do immeasurably more that we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). We pray like we aren’t totally sure he can help – or that we don’t expect him to. There is ease and comfort we seek in complacency, but it is a weak and pale prize to win in comparison to pure belief.
So, how do we combat unbelief? The anchoring truth that we must hold on to in the battle of unbelief is that our faith is placed in the reliability of our unchanging God, not in faith itself. Belief is cultivated when we cling to the Giver of it: Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate source of our faith and is the only one who can hold the weight of such a faith. Remember Believer, all things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
We must pray desperately and expectantly – the belief we do have, whether great or small, is the means of vanquishing its enemy. May our weak faith cling to our mighty God. May we take up our shield of faith in expectancy that it is strong enough to extinguish the flaming darts of the enemy; and may we always remember that anything is possible for the one who believes!
