Believe

Lord I believe, help my unbelief!  Mark 9:24

I found it interesting as I looked back at this Daydrops which I had written last year but not yet published, because it is a follow on theme from the one I wrote New Year's Eve and posted on New Year's Day.  It seems that the Holy Spirit really wants us to get the 'believe message'.

In a devotional I use I read these words, "God's deepest longing is to be believed, regardless of emotion or circumstance".   As I meditated on that I imagined what great sadness it would be for a loving father to make a promise to his son only for his son to say, "I'll believe it when I see it."  There could be good reason for such a response if the son was used to his father breaking his promises, or if it sounded too good to be true, but a good earthly father certainly desires to give his kids the best that is in his ability to do so.

How grieved God was when time and time again he 'came through' for His people in their wilderness wanderings yet when faced with a new challenge they became anxious and complaining instead of fearless and believing.  Moses certainly got fed up with them and angrily struck the rock he'd been told just to speak to (Numbers 20).  He represented God to the people and allowed his emotions to make a response that misrepresented God and so he lost privilege of entering the promised land.  (God did allow him to see it from a distance though. Numbers 27:12-13)

The father of the child in Mark 9 had brought his son to Jesus for deliverance.  He said "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus' response was, "...all things are possible to him who believes."  The man's response was honest, he says, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief."   God knows our weakness of faith and He is willing to help us to believe His promises. I have prayed that prayer a number of times. 

There is any number of books on positive thinking and how it can 'make things happen' that completely leave God out of the equation.  The power of our mind is  incredible because God has made us that way.  As believers' we have an amazing privilege of  relationship with God and a written record of his past miracles as a basis for our faith yet, like the Israelites in the desert, we still find it difficult to believe his promises to us.  How sad that must be for our heavenly Father.

David knew how to build his faith, he said, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." Ps 27:14  In the verse before this he states, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  David knew that his faith came from his relationship with God. 

We cannot manufacture faith, it is something that grows with the knowledge of God.  Romans 10:17 is the key; Faith comes by hearing the word of God. If we feed our spirit on God's word our faith in Him will grow.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father,  please help me to have a hunger for your word that will expand my faith in you this year.  Amen