Belief V Unbelief

Mark 9:14-29

      There is often a struggle deep inside most human beings and that struggle centers around belief. Not simply belief in the spiritual realm. I’m talking about belief in others and belief in one’s self. This plays out repeatedly throughout our days. Can I trust them? Am I getting this right?

      Most of this doubting takes place in our mind as part of our internal dialogue. Some people’s internal tapes contain multiple tracks of doubt. Some only have a few. It can be hard to overcome some of these imbedded negative thoughts. Some people never do get rid of this doubt.

      After seeing Jesus changed before their eyes, the three inner circle disciples and Jesus rejoin the rest. A big crowd has gathered because a boy has been brought to the remaining disciples who were unable to ‘fix’ him. Jesus has no problem with the boy’s affliction.

      Even in the face of imperfect faith, Jesus acts. The boy’s father exercises his faith. He does believe. But at the same time he struggles with some unbelief. This unbelief, this internal struggle does not prevent Jesus from acting. The reality is that we all have imperfect faith. Some of the time we struggle to believe God. Some of the time we struggle to believe in ourselves. Some of the time we have trouble believing another person who we know to be trustworthy.

      We as humans doubt. We as humans have faith. And we as humans waver between the two. All of us do. You are not alone in your on again, off again trust. Or like the father in our text his imperfect belief, we have imperfect belief and need help with our unbelief.

      The disciples had a problem as well. They tried to fix the situation in their own strength. They could not, or would not admit their own inability to handle this demon-possessed boy. How many times do we try to fix someone before we realize that only the LORD can fix them? And the someone may be us!

      Next time you get down on yourself for not having enough faith, take heart. You are not alone. Admit your struggle to Jesus and ask Him to help you with your unbelief. Take your doubts and fears to Him. Bring them into His presence. Lay them at His feet. Then be honest with those around you. Include them in your internal conversation.

The Ten-Plus-One’s

Psalm 11, 41, 71, 101, 131

Has the LORD called you to do something that you feel you can’t do? In Psalm 11 the wicked are in ambush mode and the writer is being told to find refuge in the LORD. But I get the feeling that in order to get to the LORD’s safety he must pass through an open area making himself vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Sometimes we must leave relative safety in order to find a more permanent safety. We leave the safety and predictability of the known for something unknown and as of yet, not experienced. We leave behind addiction and abuse which is very familiar. We run to love and acceptance which is very new.

Illness has overcome the psalmist (Ps 41). People come and visit, some to rejoice in what they think is his final demise. But even in these dire circumstances, the writer calls out to the LORD for mercy. He knows that even if he dies, he will be in God’s presence forever (v12). So even if rumors about your early demise are being spread, the LORD will not leave you.

I can almost hear the writer of Psalm 71 working to talk himself out of his depression. He wants to be delivered. The LORD has been faithful in the past. Even when he feels like the LORD is about to thrown him away (v9), he still reaches out to Him. He will continue in worship (v14). Nothing impedes declaring the greatness of God.

What we do in life does matter! Our deeds need to match our confession. The writer of Psalm 101 recognizes this joining of word and deed. He outlines some of the common failings of that day and of every day. It can be easy to live a lie. No one may know. But integrity calls us to a higher standard. Just because it is secret does not mean it is acceptable.

Are you content? I know that many times I am not! In Psalm 131 we are reminded to recognize our place. We each have a sphere of influence (v1) and we should limit our energies to that sphere. Beyond that, we can do little. And when we recognize and accept that limitation then we can be content, like a weaned child (v2). A weaned child is not desperate for the next feeding. They have learned that adults will provide for them, and they don’t need to be afraid. Are you content?