Day 21 – Help Me Overcome My Unbelief

Mark 9:21-24

“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.

He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

The father’s paradoxical answer to Jesus in this passage, resonates with Christians everywhere. We know what it is to believe, but we also know what it is to ‘unbelieve’. We believe that God is the God of the impossible, yet sometimes we find ourselves facing doubts. We are strong in our faith on Sunday, but on Tuesday our faith begins to falter.

The father had watched his son suffer since he was a little boy, so it is not surprising that when he speaks to Jesus, he is not full of confidence that anything or anyone can help. What sets this man apart, however, is his prayer in verse 24:

“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

What a powerful prayer! The father knew that he was imperfect and that his faith wasn’t always strong, so he went to the One who could help his unbelief – he went to Jesus. So often we assume that prayer should only be undertaken under perfect conditions, yet the prayer of the father is perfectly imperfect. He humbly recognises his need for Jesus, even at the point of needing more faith. The radical faith of this man was realising he couldn’t have strong and enduring faith on his own. He needed the Lord.

And the result? Jesus meets this man at his point of need. He heals the boy and the father’s faith is increased. Jesus did not need perfect conditions to heal the boy; He didn’t need anything to assist Him with this miracle. The beauty of this miracle, as with all Jesus’ miracles, is that He worked in imperfect conditions, with imperfect people. God does not require us to have perfect faith. But we can come to Him with boldness and pray “help my unbelief!”. And the promise we have is that we can continue to expect miracles from Jesus who is “…the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)

Family Discussion Questions

1. What do you think about the father in the passage? Was he a person of faith?

2. When do you find it most challenging to keep your faith strong?

3. Read Mark 9:28-29. What does it teach us about increasing our faith?

Response - Prayer

Jesus, thank you that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank you that you answer prayer, and that you still work miracles today. Help me to increase my faith, and where I find myself in wavering in my faith, I pray that you would help me in my unbelief. Amen