Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
—Mark 9:24
Just as faith can arise from hearing God's Word, unbelief can gradually seep into the heart, obstructing the flow of God's grace. Jesus' miraculous works were limited in Nazareth due to the people's unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
Faith can be a sensitive subject for many. It is easy to mix our understanding of faith with actually experiencing faith. While knowledge lives in our minds, faith truly comes from the heart. Doubt may start in our thoughts, but unbelief puts down roots in our hearts.
We often see faith as a constant, powerful force within us, allowing us to pray at a moment's notice. But do we pray in faith or merely out of habit? Genuine faith is a response nurtured through fellowship with God and hearing His Word (Romans 10:17, John 5:19). Merely knowing about faith, understanding it, and believing we possess it does not guarantee a fresh quickening from the Spirit. Yesterday's faith will not sustain us today.
Unbelief often arises from our senses, reasoning, and emotions. It tends to focus on what is visible, waiting for tangible evidence before accepting belief. For example, the disciples were given the important task of healing the sick and succeeded in many instances. However, there was one occasion when they could not assist a father with his son, and Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief. Perhaps they had begun to rely on their past healing experiences instead of remaining closely connected to the one true Author of faith.
Belief is powerful, but so is unbelief. Unbelief is the only force preventing God's truth from manifesting. Our senses often cannot distinguish unbelief. For instance, some individuals who believe in healing and declare their faith may wrestle with unbelief. The father of the son whom the disciples could not heal admitted this. I have experienced this myself. Sometimes, we cannot fully see what is happening in our hearts and need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us. Guilt, condemnation, bitterness, unforgiveness, and fear can all corrupt the heart and hinder genuine faith. The mind can be convinced, but the heart may be in turmoil.
Faith, like electricity, can only flow when the switch is turned on. In this context, the switch represents fellowship with God and listening to His voice. The faith that originates from God requires His life to dwell within the believer's heart and be expressed by speaking what God has quickened within their heart. We must cultivate our relationship with God by praying His Word and meditating on it until it comes alive within us. Then, we speak from the good treasure of our hearts and bring forth good things.
Unbelief often waits for outcomes, but God's kind of faith confidently expects results even before they arrive. God is not limited; however, we frequently restrict Him through our unbelief. We appeal to Him based on our senses rather than by putting our faith in the reality of what our senses have yet to experience.
Jesus speaks to us as He spoke to the father who sought deliverance for his son: "All things are possible to him who believes." The father heard Jesus' words, and they quickened his heart. "Lord, I believe!" the father cried out. "Help my unbelief!" The father listened to the words Jesus spoke, and his faith was ignited.
The disciples later came to Jesus and asked him why they could not cast the demon from the boy.
"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).
Do I believe in Jesus? Does He lack honor in my life as He did in Nazareth?
I can't muster the faith to believe. Jesus helps me overcome my unbelief. I must sow the Word, that mustard seed of faith, in my heart, cultivate it, and protect it until it comes alive within me, and I "believe." Then I can speak to my mountain. That mountain may move quickly or take longer. But it shall move. Nothing is impossible when I "believe."
Quit struggling. Surrender to the divine. Let the Word work.
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