Help My Unbelief
A father's honest prayer became one of the most loved sentences in the Gospels
Mark 9:24NIV
Mark 9:24. A father has brought his son to the disciples, and the disciples have failed. Now Jesus stands in front of him and says that everything is possible for the one who believes. The man answers at once. I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.
It is a contradiction, and it is the truest thing he could have said. He does believe; he came. He does not believe fully; he has watched his boy suffer for years and watched nine disciples fail an hour ago. He brings both to Jesus and hides neither.
Jesus does not send him away to sort his faith out first. He heals the boy. That is the point of the verse. The father's faith is not the power. Jesus is the power, and a small, divided, honest faith is enough to reach him.
On a day when many are celebrating with fireworks and family, some readers are carrying a quiet burden. You may pray this exact sentence. It has been answered before.
More in scripture
Be Still, and Know
A short command from an old psalm asks us to stop, and tells us why.
Be Still, and Know
An ancient line, written for a frightened people, asks us to stop before it asks us to understand.
Peace That Stands Guard
When worry crowds in, an old letter offers a different way to carry it.
