Help My Unbelief!

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.  Psalm 94:19 (NLT)

Meghan sprang up from her place on the couch and snapped off the television. She really disliked “Valentine Week” on all the channels. Sappy stories where the good guys always win and happily ever after was a guarantee. “That’s not always how the world works,” she thought to herself. She wandered into the kitchen for a snack. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her mom in the chair in the family room, her Bible open on her lap. She remembered the times when it was both her parents in there, side-by-side, as they read together every night.

When Dad first left, Meghan had been there in his chair, beside her mom, listening to the promises that she read from the Bible. Her mom talked about how Dad had lost his way. She told Meghan how important it was to pray against the enemy who had taken him captive and to pray that the Lord would open his mind and his heart. She talked about how much the Lord loves families and how He wants to uphold covenant marriages. Meghan believed that the Lord could do anything and that nothing was impossible for Him, so she gladly joined her mom in prayer every night.

After a while, though, there were so many things and so many circumstances that had happened that she wasn’t sure if she believed that her dad would come home anymore. She still had faith in God, and she still believed He could do the impossible, but she had this nagging doubt in her heart that maybe this particular thing was just too big for God.

“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”  Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT)

Meghan stood in the kitchen for the longest time, wanting to join her mom, but not sure about believing. She recalled a conversation with her best friend this week while they were waiting for their ride home from youth group. The lesson had been on faith and how even a little bit of faith could move mountains.

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”  Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT)

Meghan had confessed to her friend that she had lost her faith that God could do the impossible in her family situation. Her friend had answered her with the story in Mark 9 about the father with the demon-possessed boy who had come to the disciples for help, to no avail. Finally, he had come to Jesus and he prayed, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

Meghan recalled Jesus’ answer. “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”  Mark 9:22-23 (NLT)

Meghan let those words race around in her mind until they finally spiraled into her heart. With a whispered, “Lord, help me overcome my unbelief,” she walked into the family room to join her mom. As Meghan reached over to the coffee table to pick up her own Bible, her mom’s hand covered hers and Meghan’s heart opened a little wider.

Just then the doorbell rang and Meghan wondered who could be at the door at this time of night. She peered out the front window and saw a flower delivery van. She opened the door to find a man standing there with two small bouquets of white roses, favorites of both Meghan and her mom. He handed the bouquets to her and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Both she and her mom excitedly opened the small cards that came with the bouquets. Meghan’s read, “Forgive me. Dad.” Mom’s card said, “Let’s talk.” She and her mom shared a smile and Meghan knew that God was helping her overcome her unbelief. “I guess some stories DO have a happy ending,” she thought to herself, “if only we believe.”

He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”  Luke 18:27 (NLT)

God bless

A Stander in Nebraska