Where Does Our Unbelief Lie? In Mark 9, a father brought his son to Jesus for healing. Jesus’s disciples couldn’t do it. He told them it was because of their unbelief. Then he began discussing the situation with the boy’s father who said to Him, “If you can do anything…” And that was the key. The man loved his son, and he was willing to try ANYTHING to see him healed. But he said “IF.” He wasn’t really convinced that anything would work. The whole world today is saying “IF.” Most of us don’t REALLY believe that God is who He says He is, that He loves us, and that He WILL do something for us. You see, it is right here that Jesus looks at the man and says, “IF you can believe….” Those words ring over and over in my mind: IF YOU CAN BELIEVE.” Here’s the rub: Sometimes we miss a great big message because of one little piece of punctuation. We don’t think it matters. Ah, but here it does indeed matter. It matters a great deal. Let’s compare a few translations: Many of us grew up with the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible which translates this phrase: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” New International Version (NIV) translates it: “If you can?” said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes.” The New American Standard translates it: “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Notice the difference. Jesus wasn’t just saying that anything is possible to the person who believes. No. It was much, much more than that. The man had questioned Jesus’ ability to do anything, and Jesus was calling him on it: “If I can! IF I CAN?” That’s the way most of us would respond today if we had it in our power to do something for someone who didn’t think we could. Imagine you had a debt you couldn’t pay and billionaire Mark Cuban told you to come see him about the problem. Imagine that he is questioning you about the debt. And then imagine yourself saying the dumbest thing you could ever say: “Mark, if you can pay this bill, will you do it?” So whats so dumb about that? Mark is an acutely astute man. Before he answered your question, he would answer that dumb statement that came first: “If I can! Say what! If I can? Really now…e on. IF I CAN? Don’t you know who I am? If I can?” It’s the same with Jesus. He looks at us and says, “If I can?!” But the story doesn’t end here. Immediately, the boy’s father repented of his unbelief and cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” NAS Mark 9 :24 He was saying, “I do believe, Lord. Don’t let that unbelief creep back in and get in the way. I believe. I really do believe. Forget I ever doubted you.” You see, we focus on ourselves, on our weaknesses, and we allow ourselves to get in the way of believing that God can do or will do anything for us. But the real problem is: it’s not about us. It never was. ~Not in the sense that we can do anything about anything. It’s all about Him and who He is. The trouble is, we haven’t spent enough time with Him to know who He is. We only know “about” Him and think He’s some horrible, vengeful entity out in outer space who is looking for someone to ZAP! There is only one thing that is all about us and always has been about us: It’s His love. He made us because He wanted a family. He’s just like the man and woman who desperately want to have a baby to love, cherish, and nurture. He just wants to love us. We are the ones who hinder that because of our unbelief. We refuse to believe what we cannot see. Some of us just cant get it down out of the ozone; Others, just flat out say it aint so. I bet Mark Cubans son knows that his daddy has the resources to take care of his needs. Why dont Gods children know that He can take care of their needs? Marks son knows his daddy, because they spend time together. Just get to know Jesus and He will show you the Father. Dont you know that he died and rose again so that He can take you into the Holy Place? Spend time with Him. We can’t truly believe Him if we don’t know Him. Don’t listen to what others say ABOUT Him. Ask Him about Him. You will soon discover that God is not the ogre that the world has told us He is. Simply tell Him: “I believe.”
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:08:57 +0000
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