Belief and Doubt
Q: If one has an undercurrent of unbelief, (even though earnestly studying & wanting to believe) does that mean that he/she is not faithful?
A: In Mark 9: 14-24 there is a story of a man describing to Jesus how his son is afflicted with what sounds like epilepsy. The father then asked, “If you are able please have pity on us and heal my son.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
I can identify with that father. Sometimes things happen in my life that are beyond my capacity to handle.
When Jesus confronted him with “If you are able!” The father didn’t drop what he was doing, go to the library and study a medical journal. That would be pure ego. He humbled himself… said he believes in the ability of, and the reputation of this renowned miracle worker, Jesus the Christ, then he humbly admitted his limitations. He then offered the perfect prayer request at that moment, “Help my unbelief.” He asked the Christ to increase his capacity for faith!! This is the perfect form of supplicative (asking) prayer! We don’t supplicate or ask God for “things” but we ask for growth, increasing our capacities in love, faith, wisdom and understanding.
There comes a time when we cannot figure something out; we’ve come to the limit of our ability to reason. When that happens, we either quit there; attached to yesterday’s limited understanding of the universe, or, we swallow our pride, and take a leap of faith. Let go of reason and logic for just a moment and ask God for help. This type of desire reveals humility, a pure heart, which is essential to move beyond just knowing “about” God to a place where we experience God. Only then can we truly know God. Therefore, in response to the question, being faithful means to never quit asking God for help. So, let’s release the undercurrent of unbelief that blocks our experience of the next zip code (level of consciousness). As we progress in our spiritual journey, we discover greater happiness, more inner peace and a greater capacity for love, patience and compassion without seeking those things. It happens organically by spending time in the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our devotional practices.
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