I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! 

Mark 9:24

There was a man named Charles Blondin who in 1859 walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope!  Yes, he walked several times back and forth between Canada and the United States sides of the great falls.  Not only this, but once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle,  and once he even carried a stove with him and cooked an omelet!

Of course, Blondin’s antics attracted quite a crowd.  It is said that he asked his audience, “Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?”  Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed!

It was then that Blondin posed the question – “Who will get in the wheelbarrow?’

Of course…none did.

This reminds me of a story in the Bible, in Mark chapter 9 a father comes to Jesus begging Him to heal his demon-possessed boy.  The desperate father asked Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  (Mark 9:22b) Jesus’ response is startling.

“’If you can’?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)

I can relate to this father’s exclamation, and I bet you may be to as well.  We believe but we still struggle with feeling like we have enough faith.  The good news is that Jesus meets us where we are in our faith and will graciously grant us more faith as we seek it from Him.  The story in Mark goes on to Jesus immediately healing the boy of the evil spirits and commanding them to never enter him again.

Tim Keller sums it up like this, “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.”

When you experience times of feeling like your faith is weak, ask Jesus and He will help you overcome your unbelief.