Unbelief is the inability to disbelieve that your circumstances will never change and be better.
Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
I promised some time ago to do another message on our unbelief. Unbelief robs us of the full joy of knowing the Lord. The father in this scripture had a young son who had a mute spirit. The father had taken his son to the disciples for help, but they could not help them.
In what was probably another of many acts of desperation, the father brings the child to Jesus and asks for help. He actually says to Jesus, ‘If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Mark 9:23.
Sometimes our situations can be so dire that even as believers, we can act in the unbelief that is still present with us. Peter did this when Jesus called him to walk on the water. Peter did fine until he looked around at the waves. Then he panicked. The waves were stronger than his belief.
Thomas showed his unbelief when he said I will not believe Jesus has risen from the dead until I put my hands into his side. Thomas was saying, I must see it for myself before I believe it. Thomas’ natural sight was stronger than his belief.
The father of this young boy, Peter and Thomas all had this in common. They believed Jesus was Lord, but they did not recognize the limit they lived by in their circumstances.
The father had probably been living with grief and pain of not being able to help his son all his life. He had probably done everything he knew to do to help, but still his son was not healed. His request for help from Jesus is a statement of unbelief, if You can do anything. He believed in the Lord, but he allowed unbelief to exist, and he didn’t even know it.
Peter, in his request to the Lord to call him to walk on the water was an unbelievable request. He said, Lord if it is You, call for me to walk on the water. Jesus did. And Peter walked on water for a few steps. But an unbelieving request will usually lead to unbelieving results. Peter’s request was an unbelievable request.
And then there was Thomas. When the disciples told Thomas they had seen the risen Lord, Thomas found that too hard to believe. And though he was not speaking directly to Jesus, he was saying what I see for myself is stronger evidence of what is than what I believe can be. His was an unbelieving statement.
The father’s unbelief was real in his lifelong circumstance. Peter’s unbelief was real in his need to believe what was possible. Thomas’ unbelief was real in his need to believe only what he could see. You must never allow your circumstances, or the impossible, or what you see to dictate your belief.
So, you can see what is common in these three people. You should be able to see yourself in them as well. I’m sure we have all said or done or even live this way today. The problem for us is the same as it was for them. We do not recognize our unbelief as unbelief because we live with it in all our circumstances.
But the Lord is gracious. Even though the father, and Peter and Thomas came to Him in a state of unbelief, He had compassion on them and grace toward them and Love for them and helped them.
Today, if you will look within yourself for the hidden unbelief that lurks with you, He will have the same compassion and grace and Love for you. A bit of unbelief is in each of us. Accept that this includes you too. Ask the Lord to help you with your unbelief. He will do it.
Do not be so willing to live by what you have come to accept and know that you block what you do not know that is better for you. Just because you have always worried about tomorrow doesn’t mean there is something about tomorrow that warrants worry.
Learn never to pray from an unbelieving position. Just because the Lord doesn’t change everything you face in life doesn’t mean He does not change the things in your life that need changing. Sometimes He allows the sickness so that you will appreciate being well even more.
Lord, help us to believe so strongly that our unbelief has a hard time finding a place to work its ways into our lives.
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