Battle for the Mind – Faith or Disillusionment

When we get together as Christians we usually smile and encourage one another, and this is all fine, of course. However, we seldom speak of our struggle to believe, our failures, our doubts.

In Mark 9: 23-25 we read of the following occurrence. A father brought his son to Jesus because he was “possessed of an evil spirit” that would not allow the boy to talk. He had convulsions went into fits. This had been happening since he was a small child. The father’s words to Jesus were: “Have mercy on us, and help us if you can.” Jesus answered him: “What do you mean, ‘if I can’? Anything is possible if a person believes.” And then the man uttered those words we know so well: “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.”

We know with our minds and hearts that Jesus Christ is certainly capable of everything, almighty, all-powerful… but the niggle enters. Why should he do this for me? I am not a miracle-worthy person; and a miracle is only a miracle because it seldom happens.

Sometimes we have such confidence, but at other times we waver and our minds want to reason things out. That cancer treatment was the answer for Janet (“Praise the Lord!” we say) but the same treatment just didn’t work for Sam who went through agony before leaving this world. Was our belief different in these two cases? Is the fault ours for a lack of faith?

Let’s talk about our doubts and face them as this battle for our minds takes place.

The little boy in the story was healed. We don’t hear about the father’s reaction or his life after this. We can only imagine.