Category: I Do Believe

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24 NIV

“We will never have enough faith; we must depend entirely on God and Christ. We exercise our faith in humility, simply trusting that God can act in and through us. It is God who acts; it is we who trust him as he acts… ‘There is struggling faith, like a man in deep water desperately swimming; clinging faith, like a man hanging on the side of a boat; and resting faith, like a man safely within the boat and able to reach out and help others get in.’ We often have a struggling faith like the father (Mark 9:24), and God’s help and power are available as we wrestle with life” (Grant Osborne, Mark: Teach the Text Commentary Series).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in every ministry challenge to love others, may we trust the one who moves mountains. May we grow in resting faith that reaches out to others through prayer and helps them into the boat of the Lord’s salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing to the song, “Spirit of God” by New Life Worship (click here).

-CR

 

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NIV

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:5-6 NIV

“This is one of the most important theological descriptions of true discipleship in Scripture. Every one of us should have it inscribed on a plaque and hung on the wall over our desk, for it describes us all. The father admits that he has some faith, yet also a huge area where he lacks faith. He knows Jesus’s reputation and has heard the stories, but he has experienced firsthand the ineptitude of Jesus’s disciples. He has a ‘grain-of-mustard-seed’ faith, so he says in effect, ‘I have a little faith; help me in the great areas where I cannot as yet have faith’” (Grant Osborne, Mark: Teach the Text Commentary Series, Kindle 4292).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I humbly ask that you would help me in the great areas where I do not as yet have faith. By faith, we speak the name of Jesus over our families, campuses, workplaces, and cities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing to the song, “I Speak Jesus” by Here Be Lions (click here).

-CR

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Mark 9:21-23 NIV

“Jesus repeats the father’s words back to him (literally, As for ‘if you can’). This is usually understood as exasperation on Jesus’s part and a rebuke of the father’s lack of faith. Yet the father was not guilty of the same degree of hardness as the ‘unbelieving generation’ in verse 19. I would link this with the cry for help in verse 24 below as a small amount of faith rather than complete unbelief. The father is unsure but still centers on Jesus, as did the Syrophoenician woman and the deaf mute (7:24–37). He is another of the ‘little people’… who exemplify the kind of discipleship Jesus requires of his followers” (Grant Osborne, Mark: Teach the Text Commentary Series, Kindle 4276).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in moments of uncertainty, may I yield to the Spirit by crying out to you and centering on Jesus. May I trust that you are compassionate, willing, and able to do the impossible for those who cling to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing to the song, “Believe For it” by CeCe Winans (click here).

-CR

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Mark 9:17-19 NIV

“Doubt and fear are the twin foes of faith. Sometimes, they actually usurp the place of faith, and although we pray, it is a restless, disquieted prayer that we offer, uneasy and often complaining… Doubts should never be cherished, nor fears harbored… It is no credit to any man’s mental capacity to cherish doubt of God, and no comfort can possibly derive from such a thought… A simple, confiding faith, living day by day, and casting its burden on the Lord, each hour of the day, will dissipate fear, drive away misgiving and deliver from doubt” (E. M. Bounds, Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, Kindle, p. 20).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to nourish faith daily by casting my burdens upon you each day in prayer. May doubt and fear melt away in your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing to the song, “You Hold It Altogether” by Maverick City Worship & Upper Room (click here).

– CR

Let’s read aloud the following passage, confession, and prayer:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NIV

Heidelberg Catechism
Q: What do you believe when you say: “I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?”

A: That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and all that is in them, and who still upholds and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence, is… my God and my Father. In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul, and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this life of sorrow. He is able to do so as almighty God, and willing also as a faithful Father.

Prayer: I believe God exists. I believe the Father loves me. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that I am forgiven. I believe that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living and active in me. I believe he rewards those who earnestly seek him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing to the song, “Echo Holy” by Red Rocks Worship (click here).

– CR