Hardships and challenges in life often call us into a deeper level of faith. And as we grow in our relationship with God, God continues to ask more from us, especially in seasons where His plan for us is not clear, or even seems absent altogether.
It’s hard to understand why God allows us to go through certain things. As children of God, we have to believe and know that these things are part of a larger plan that we can’t see or understand in the present moment but will be made apparent at a time God designates. In doing this, we have to trust in his sovereignty and love for us. As I have faced personal trials in my faith, I’ve really learned how important it is to have a faith that’s alive and personal. By this I mean having faith not merely as an abstract concept, but by telling God, “I give you my problems,” or “I trust that you will bless me,” and meaning it fully. As human beings, doubt can creep in, especially if things are not going as expected. But doubt is a natural response to uncertainty, and there isn’t anything inherently wrong with us when that feeling emerges. But our response to that feeling is very important. In my experience, I’ve asked myself where the doubt comes from because I think it’s important to understand the source of such feelings. It could be a situation where it feels like God has failed, prayers left seemingly unanswered, or we find ourselves continuously facing a particular issue in life for years.
In Mark 9:14-24(NKJV), a father brought his son to Jesus for healing from an unclean spirit. When the father asked Jesus for help, He said to him, “…If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The father cried out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Here, the father expressed what initially seems like a contradictory statement. If he says he believes, why is he asking Jesus to help his unbelief? But he expresses is a universal part of faith in Christ. While we have full awareness of His abilities, we still have doubt and uncertainty, and desperately want God to increase our faith and help our unbelief.
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
In these moments of doubt, we have to be careful not to spiral into despair or resort to taking matters into our own hands in disobedience. Rather, we must do what the father did in the passage and press into faith, asking God to remove our doubts, and believe in His plan even without seeing it yet. One of my favorite moments in the Bible is when Jesus rose again after the crucifixion and appeared to many people on Earth in His resurrected body. Thomas, one of the 12 disciples, didn’t believe that Jesus had returned and said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Then Jesus appeared to him and showed him the print of the nails and the holes in His side, and Thomas believed. (John 20:27-28) Jesus then said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
We are blessed that we believe that such a loving God exists who lived a life on Earth with humanity, suffered and conquered death, even without physically seeing him. And I believe the same applies to our belief in his ability to restore, heal, and renew anything in our lives that needs His touch.
In a recent sermon, my pastor talked about asking God to help our unbelief. And it’s been something I’ve been pondering on since. I’ve been asking myself how I have withheld myself or my desires out of fear of disappointment. Where and how can my faith be increased?
As we place our hope in God to do something miraculous in our lives, whether it be big or small, I pray that God reveals and helps any unbelief we may have so that our faith can be alive and true to us.
