Scripture: "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief."—MARK ix. 24.
What a treasure of encouragement these words contain. Our Lord had said to the father of the possessed child, who had asked for His help: "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." The father felt that Christ was throwing the responsibility on him. If he believed, the child could be healed. And he felt as if he had not such faith. But as he looked in the face of Christ, he felt assured that the love which was willing to heal, would also be ready to help with his faith and graciously accept even its feeble beginnings. And he cried with tears: "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Christ heard the prayer, and the child was healed.
What a lesson for us who have so often felt, as we listened to the wonderful promises of God, that our faith was too feeble to grasp the precious gift. And here we receive the assurance that the Christ Who waits for our faith to do its work is a Saviour Who Himself will care for our faith. Let us come, however feeble our faith may be, and, though it be with tears, cry: "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." And Christ will accept the prayer that puts its trust in Him. Let us bring it into exercise, even though it be but as a mustard seed; in contact with Christ the feeblest faith is made strong and bold. Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfector of our faith.
Dear Christian, I pray you, as you read God's wonderful promises and long to have them fulfilled, remember the grain of mustard seed. However small, if it be put into the ground and allowed to grow, it becomes a great tree. Take the hidden feeble seed of the little faith you have, with the Word of promise on which you are resting; plant it in your heart. Give utterance to it in the contact with Jesus Christ and fervent prayer to Him; He will in very deed accept of the feeble trembling faith that clings to Him and will not let Him go. A feeble faith in an Almighty Christ will become the great faith that can remove the mountains.
We saw in Abraham how God took charge of his faith and trained him to become strong in faith, giving glory to God. Count most confidently on the desire of Christ to strengthen your faith. And in answer to the* question that each time comes again, "Believest thou that I can do this ?" let your heart confidently say: "Yea, Lord, I do believe." Praise God! I have a Christ Who not only waits to give the full possession of the heavenly life and the blessings of the covenant, but a Christ Who secretly works in me the faith that can claim it all.
