Mark 9:24

"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

Most of us have been there. Some dramatic problem has entered our lives and we need help. The only problem is that our great faith, the one we used in helping dozens of other people facing problems, has gone as weak as the stem of a week old wild flower. Our knees are rubbery, our pulse is racing, and our faith is dead. "God, where are You when I need You?" we cry.

We search for answers in the places we expect to find them, but all our searching produces a list of exactly "zero" solutions. We talk to our friends; they shrug their shoulders and have no answers. We seek the experts, and they give us all types of hypothetical reasons for our predicament, but they only confuse the issue. Where is a man, or woman, to turn? What can we do?

The father in today's verse had a similar problem. He had heard about the wonderful things some Carpenter from Nazareth was doing. And He had a problem. His son was sick. The doctors had given no hope for a cure. The rabbi suggested that he, the father, had committed some great sin. The neighbors talked about him behind his back. Maybe this Miracle Worker could do some good. He was supposed to be teaching on a mountainside some ten miles away.

He packed a lunch for himself and the lad and lifted the boy into his arms and began the long trek up the road. Would he find what he wanted? It was a long shot, but he had to try. What did he have to lose but a few hours sleep and another long walk? Arriving at the mountain, he found no teacher. He had left hours before. But His disciples were there. Maybe they could help. Shouting, commanding, working, sweating, nothing produced the result. Now the disciples were discouraged. They were giving up. If only the Teacher would return. Surely He could help.

Darkness begins to descend upon the valley and no Teacher. Disillusionment swept through his soul like a Roman chariot. He turns to leave when he hears a voice, a sweet voice like none he had heard before. "May I help you?" " Rabbi, your disciples could not heal my boy. He is very sick. Can you help?" An almost pleading voice accompanies the words. "Do you believe I can help your son?" asked the Master. "Indeed You can, Sir, with all the faith I can muster. But if it is not enough, please help my faithlessness to be enough." And it happened. The Rabbi took the son, lifted him up, and made him whole!

In your distress, stop. Quit running around like the proverbial chicken. Turn immediately to the source of all help and call upon Him. With the little faith you have, call out and ask. Ask that He will take what little bit of faith you have, multiply it a thousand times or more, and ask for resolution of your conflict, your trial, your trouble. Just ask. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.