College · Day 3 of 5
When You Have Doubts
Read: Mark 9:17-29 (KJV)
17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Read the whole chapter ›What it means
A desperate father brings his son to Jesus and says the most honest prayer in the Bible: Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. He has faith and doubt at the same time, and he says both out loud. Jesus does not send him away for not having enough faith. He helps him. Many people hit real questions about God for the first time as young adults. A class, a friend, a tragedy, or a church that hurt you can bring up doubts you never had to face before. Some believers panic and hide those questions. Others walk away from faith entirely. This father shows a third way: bring your doubts to Jesus instead of away from Him. Honest questions are not the opposite of faith. Pretending is. God is not threatened by your hard questions, and the Bible itself is full of people who wrestled with Him. The goal is not to never doubt. The goal is to keep bringing your whole self, belief and unbelief together, to the One who can actually help.
Key verse
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Mark 9:24 (KJV)
Think about it
- What question about God or faith have you been afraid to ask out loud?
- Who is a mature believer you trust enough to talk with about your doubts?
- Write your own version of the father's prayer: what do you believe, and where do you need help?