|
"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said,
'I believe; help my unbelief!'"
(Mark 9:24)
A couple weeks ago, I went to serve for my sixth year at English Camp: a camp for teenagers in Wölmerson, Germany, where we hold English classes each morning taught by teams of native English speakers from the USA, Canada, Ireland, and England. I used to take teams of university students from Great Hills Baptist Church to serve here in the summers, and now that I live here, I still love to go and serve at the camp every year. It is a great opportunity to share the Gospel with teenagers, as many who come to this camp do not know Jesus, and many don't have any good churches in the towns where they live. English classes and worship times are in English, and sermons are done in English live and translated into German. All other programs and small groups take place in German.
This year, our camp theme was "Be Real". There is a popular social media channel which many of the teens use called "Be Real" which encourages people to be more authentic on social media by making you post in real time what your average life looks like instead of only posting highly edited and curated content. So based on this theme, our camp's full title was: "Be Real. Can I Believe It?" Each day had a focus. Day one was "Be Real with your Doubts".
Do you struggle with doubts? Do you feel that you have to hide them for any reason? Maybe you hide them because you are embarrassed, thinking you shouldn't have these questions anymore. Maybe you hide them because you feel the pressure of being a "strong Christian role model" for others in your life. Or perhaps it is one of many other possible reasons. Doubts are a common experience for Christians. Having doubts doesn't mean that you are not a Christian, yet they also are not welcome guests to linger in our hearts and minds. Elisabeth Elliot once said, "Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them." Similarly, J.D. Greear has said, "Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is continuing to follow Jesus in the midst of doubt." These thoughts remind me of our verse for today, Mark 9:24. Do you remember the context of this story? The father brings his boy with an unclean spirit to Jesus and asks him to help, if he can. Jesus quickly responds by saying, "If I can? All things are possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23). To which the father responds with both faith and honesty, "I believe; help my unbelief." He does believe, or else he wouldn't have brought his child to Jesus. But there is a part of him that still doubts. However, by asking for Jesus' help in this moment, the father recognizes that his unbelief is out of line with who God is and where he wants his faith to be.
Being real with your doubts isn't an invitation to accept your doubts as truth or to stay in your doubts. Rather, being real with your doubts is an opportunity to recognize the ways that you are struggling to believe God and to ask for help from firstly the Lord Himself, but also from others to help you align these areas back to the truth of the Lord. It is a humble heart that says, "I am feeling this way and wondering about these things. I don't understand these things. But I do know these things about God. So Lord, would You help me to trust You even in the things I don't understand? Would You show me how to align these feelings, curiosities, and questions with Your truth, whether or not I can see a clear answer in this moment?"
Have you been holding questions or doubts inside? Be open about those with the Lord and with someone you trust. You don't have to carry that burden alone. The Lord is more than strong enough to handle your doubts and He has also given you the Church to walk alongside you as you wrestle with and align your heart and mind to God's Truth.
|
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
