Here is the revelation shaping my life today – Jesus invites my unbelief as a fuel for journey not a barrier to intimacy.
Mark 9:21-24 NLT
[21] “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. [22] The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” [23] “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” [24] The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Observation
Unbelief is welcome. Believing, standing by faith, does not dismiss doubts, and Jesus does not ask they we never have doubts, he asks that we exercise faith while holding our doubts. We find security in removing doubts, but Jesus does not want our security to be in what we have intellectually settled as our truth without doubt, but rather in him alone. Belief and doubt are two sides of the one coin, and belief helps me stand firm in Him and doubt helps me stand vulnerable and real before Him. There must be room for doubt, and unbelief when we are invited to live in the mystical and supernatural. How can we be certain of things we cannot prove, cannot see, or cannot understand? By definition, mystery demands unanswered questions.
Often we feel like doubt is the opposite of belief and so we try and argue away our, and others, doubts. But this brings us to a place of dogmatic argumentation or internal turmoil. It is only in embracing our unbelief can we join the father of the above Jesus story in finding deeper belief – “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” The journey with Jesus is a progressive personal journey of unfolding revelation. It’s not that all questions, doubts and unbeliefs are answered, they actually fuel our journey for they facilitate personal dialogue with Jesus. What we are invited into is a belief that stands with unbelief. I often hear people say I don’t believe that, and then proceed to believe that removes them from their journey with Jesus, rather than see his invitation to embrace unbelief as the fuel for personal journeying. Our role is not to remove unbelief from others as a means of “helping them”, rather we are to introduce people to a personal journey with Jesus, with their unbelief in their hands. If we got this posture right then we may be better placed to journey in unity and Jesus be discovered by genuine seekers who will not mask their questions and doubts.
Application
I will embrace my unbeliefs as I journey in faith. I will not try and dogmatically remove unbelief from others, but rather share the road of belief wrestling with unbelief. I will not see an agreement to my presenting belief structures as a goal for others, but rather share the journey of ongoing personal progressive revelation. I will live in the tension if “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Response
Thank you that you don’t demand dogmatic “I believe” as a qualification for relationship or acceptance. I love that you invite me to be real and present with my confessions and my questions both in hand. I love that you are interested in personal presence with me not me getting you bottled up in my doctrinal confessions. I love your patience, your intimacy, and your posture of dialogue not adherence. This is a beautiful life.
Meditation
Meditate – I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!
Consider:
What do I do with my unbeliefs?
Have I received the dogma of man ignoring my questions for the sake of compliance? Is it time for intimate dialogue with Jesus?
JOURNEY DEEPER
