Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)
Do you ever have moments when you are filled with doubt about God? I do. When I read the news, the stories are filled with articles of people hurting other people. Greed, lust, murder, rape, cancer, war. Sometimes it gets to be too much for me. Where is God in this flawed world we live in? How can the people of a loving God do this to each other?
In those moments, I am filled with unbelief. I am also filled with anger and sadness at the cruelty we humans can reap on each other.
I think we all have those moments of unbelief, moments where we wonder if we’re crazy for believing and worshipping a God who isn’t visible to the naked eye. In those moments, I want to see God. I want Him to prove himself to me, darn it!
I understand why the ancient Egyptians worshipped Gods based on the animals around them. They must have felt a need to recognize there was something greater than them and they looked to nature to find it. The ancient Mesopotamians did too. Even in modern times there are religions that have idols of Gods and Goddesses who look like them – because those deities are relatable.
My point is, it’s human to want a God we can see. A God we can put on our home altar and say “That’s my main dude. I worship him/her.”
As Christians, we don’t have that. Sure, we can have icons of Mary or Christ. But how can images contain the awesomeness of God or the Holy Spirit? What icon can capture the mystery and wonder of the Holy Trinity?
And that leads us back to our unbelief. Having moments of doubt are normal. Wanting a statue for our altar is normal. But God is so much more than that – there is no drawing on this earth that can capture the awesomeness of God and I cannot even imagine trying.
It’s in the moments that I question my belief, that I am completely drawn back to God.
I have been drawn to the book of Job over and over lately. If you haven’t had time to really dive deep, I encourage you to do so.
In my moments of unbelief, one part of Job calls out to me. God says:
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?”
(Job 38:4-7)
Who am I to try and understand God? God is so much more than we can fathom and trying to turn God into someone just like us, but a little more special, diminishes who He truly is. We cannot understand God. All we can do is have faith and believe in Him and His love for us and all the world.
I would rather believe and share the message of love than not believe.
God is love. It’s up to each one of us to share it with the world. I don’t mean by preaching, I mean it by filling our hearts with God’s love and joy and doing our best every moment of every day to let His love shine out of our souls.
In your moments of unbelief, my friends, focus on God’s immeasurable love and do your best to share it with the world.
Mighty Abba, thank You for helping me in my moments of unbelief. Help me to continue to share Your love with the world around me, even in my darkest moments. Because You are there beside me, loving me, holding me, and forgiving me for my own mistakes. You are so awesome, God, and I am blessed to know that I am yours. Amen.