Will You Let Me Help

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
    “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
    When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
    After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark. 9:17-29.)

The boy in the text was possessed by a demon. The boy's symptoms resemble epilepsy, but that was not the case, as epilepsy does not try to destroy a person. The boy's suffering had driven the father to the brink of despair. The father had already asked the disciples for help, but they had been unable to assist. He now stood before Jesus. His request is full of uncertainty and frustration: "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus did not rebuke the father for his weak faith but instead turned his gaze toward God's possibilities.

An "if" lives within each of us. We pray: "Heal, if it is your will." It is human. But Jesus calls us to go a step further: to trust that his power does not end where our hope expires.

The father's cry, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" is perhaps the most honest prayer in the Bible. It does not pretend to have pious certainty. It acknowledges that faith and doubt reside in the same heart. Faith is not a performance that must be made perfect before Jesus can act. Faith is turning to Jesus exactly as weak and wavering as we are. Faith is turning toward God despite the doubts. This faith is trust in God's help amidst the challenges of everyday life. However, it is important to keep this faith separate from faith in Jesus as a personal Savior and the atoner for sins. While the former faith may waver, the latter faith receives constant strengthening from the Word of God.

Perhaps today you feel like that father. There is a situation in your life that seems impossible. Perhaps you feel guilt because your faith feels fragile or your prayers feel silent. Our text gives us permission to be imperfect. Faith is relying on Jesus, not on our own feelings, for God is greater than our doubts. We may bring everything to Jesus: our distress, our illness, and even our own lack of faith. He does not ask how strong your faith is; instead, he asks: "Will you let me help?"