For the next little while, I am planning on sharing thoughts from the book of Mark with my youth group. A few weeks ago we started at verse 1, and now we're just working our way through. My plan is to personally read through the book once a week and really get into the story of Jesus as Mark presents it.
One of my favorite parts of the book--probably one of my favorite parts of the Bible--is where Jesus is about to heal a certain boy. He tells the boy's father that "everything is possible for him who believes." Seems straightforward enough. But then things get a little crazy. The man's response is classic...and haunting:
"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
You see, that's it. Right there. Sometimes that's me. Sometimes that's us. Sometimes we can't believe. Sometimes we don't know how to. Sometimes we've forgotten. Sometimes all we can do is cry out.
We carry a lot with us every day. A lot that hurts us. A lot that confuses us. A lot that takes us away from the ideal perfection we know we want. Like that father we come to Him because there is no other way.
And as that father found we need also know that God's love can reach beyond our inadeqacies.
And it does. That boy is healed.
So we too might despite all our struggles come to God. And though our tongues do stammer and faith sometimes falters we know He still hears us.
And that, I think, is a miracle.
1 comment:
Hi Josh!
It's great to see you back on here...it's been a long time, as you said. I can absolutely relate to what you're saying here, I'd say that 99% of my prayers contain some aspect of that request of God. "Help me to believe in You Lord, and all that implies!" My own unbelief often floors me, even after all that the Lord has done for me. How frail we are as humans, and how amazing it is that God looks past all that and loves us anyway.
Looking forward to reading further thoughts from you!
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