And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
-Mark 9:21-24 (ESV)

Chapter 9 of Mark’s gospel contains the account of a man who brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus. The father asks him to help, if he can. Jesus rebukes the man and says that anything is possible to those who believe. The father replies, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

I’ve always loved the brutal honesty of the father. It’s almost as if he’s saying, “I am sure that you are who you say you are, and you can do what you say you can do. Now, help me take that one step further and be certain of the things I can’t see… The things I don’t understand… The things I doubt.”

If I’m being honest, that often sounds like my thoughts.

Unfortunately, there’s this twisted idea out there in Christian circles that says in order to have authentic faith, you must have an answer to every question. And I think that’s dangerous. Where does God fit in with that? Life can be tough, and the truth of the matter is that we’re not supposed to simply deflect any bad things or doubts of the world as if they don’t matter. That’s not only unrealistic, it’s also unhealthy. Our questions do matter, especially to God, and that’s the point.

Notice the words of the father again…  He believes, but needs God to help. The man doesn’t have it all figured out. His unbelief allows God room to maneuver.

Faith isn’t simply the absence of doubt. And faith and doubt aren’t contradictory. We can be unsure of how God is going to work it out, but still have faith in his goodness. What’s important is to trust God now, and cling to the assurance that one day we will have a chance to have all our questions answered.

In the meantime, we must be like the father in Mark 9 and go directly to God with our doubts. The choice to believe is ours.

God, help us with our unbelief.