And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23 ESV) I have always loved this scripture. It continues to inspire me to believe bigger. There is nothing more powerful than our beliefs. What we believe about God determines what we believe He is able to do (even the impossible!) and whether or not we believe He is willing to do so for us.
Maybe you believe that God is able to do all things, but are struggling with believing whether or not He can, or is willing to do them for you.
I believe that the man in Mark 9 brought his son to Jesus because he had heard and believed that Jesus could heal him. But just like this man, you may be thinking, ‘I believe you can do great things, I’m just not sure you are willing to do them for me’. Well, Jesus’ answer to the man and to us is that All things are possible for one who believes. The man cried out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” We will always have this tension between our faith and our doubts. For me, the key is to focus on Jesus, not my circumstances and certainly not on myself.
I can think of nothing I wanted more than to become a lawyer—and I was able to make that dream come true. But when I had the opportunity to be a judge, as much as I wanted it, I felt inadequate. I was a young, single, black woman with no clout, no money, and I was not politically connected. I did not fit the profile of a judge, and honestly, I did not really believe that I could one day sit on the bench. When I finally applied, I gave it everything I had, but failed. The second time around I began to steward my beliefs. Like the man in the story, I cried out, “I believe, but help my unbelief!” I didn’t just believe that God could do it, but I began to believe that God could do it for me—not because I was great, but because God is good and it was His good pleasure to bless me.
Presiding Action
Name an area in your life where you need God to meet your needs. You may have a strong belief that God can do anything, but do you believe God can—and is willing to do it for you? Ask God to help your unbelief.