Lord help my disbelief

" I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24b

This story, though often overlooked, is one of my favorites. A distraught father brings his possessed little boy to the disciples who are unable to cure him. The man pleads with Jesus - saying if you are able, please help us. Jesus replies, anything can be done for those who believe. The fathers humbly responded by crying out "I believe; help my unbelief!" Those five words speak to my soul, because I empathize with the father.

As Christians, we all come into times of doubt. Sometimes, all we can say is God - help my disbelief. Often, we attempt to hide these feelings. In reality, haven't we all felt this way at one time or another? We ignore our doubts when in reality, if we revealed them and allowed ourselves to give them to God, God could use them to help us grow stronger.

The classic Christian author C.S. Lewis spent many years as an atheist. It was not until he researched Christianity in an attempt to prove its falsehood that he encountered the truth in Christ. In his book Mere Christianity Lewis admitted that even as an atheist he suffered from doubts. He laid at night terrified that Christians might actually have the truth - then he would definitely be on the wrong side.

The point is - we all have doubts, it is what we do with them that matters. We can suppress our doubts, and simply choose not to think. The only problem with this is that we can never grow if we choose not to use our intellect. We could also approach doubts as many intellectuals do - fully accept them as truth. If something does not make sense, why not take the easy way and choose not to believe at all? There is also a third option - an answer that lies in the gray between these two extremes. We can take these doubts for what they are - doubts rather than facts. We can wrestle with them and then fall on our knees and proclaim "Lord I belive, help my unbelief," to an almighty God who promises to give us wisdom.