A Beautiful Command

One of the coolest phrases (at least, I think so) from the bible is this: Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" - Mark 9:24


When I first read that, I was enthralled by it. And ever since then, I find myself saying it to God whenever I have doubts about life, God, His will...etc.


The phrase is beautiful (and seems like an oxymoron - I love those hah). It is beautiful because while the person saying it asks God for help with his unbelief, he has belief (enough belief to ask God for belief). Commanding God to do something might seem odd or crazy, but a command like this is beautiful because it is a genuine plea for God to do his will. God wants us to believe and have faith in him and when we ask for something like that, he will give it to us.


I was contemplating  (a dangerous past-time resulting in over-thinking & a headache) on this phrase...and I thought of it this way: "I have faith, help my unbelief."  So...the person has faith in God to overcome his unbelief. And then, I thought of if this way: "I believe, help my lack of faith." So...the person believes in God...and asks for faith in him. Faith and believing in something are very different. Satan believes in God...but does not have faith in him (clearly). One can believe that the chair in front of him exists - but does he have faith in the chair to hold him up? So, with all of this, I was trying to decide where each word (faith & belief) should fit into the phrase because I enjoy over-analyzing things which drives everyone else crazy and leaves my brain thoughtless for my actual school work. 


Okay...so, with much thought and writing, I finally decided to conclude that the best order depends on the situation. If someone is in a state of doubt about God's existence and says, "I believe, help my unbelief," he is basically saying that he has faith in God's power to overcome his doubts (his unbelief). However, if someone exclaims the oh-so beautiful phrase because he lacks faith in God, he is saying that he believes in God and needs faith in him also. 


Oh hey, it just keeps going in circles...because if someone has faith in God...he must believe. Right? So...it depends on what type of doubts...and now my brain is confused and no longer wants to process anything. So...I am finished with my analytic ranting.


When it all comes down to things, the phrase is beautiful and I say it to God a lot; it helps me. I encourage you to try saying it to God whenever you doubt his existence, his power, your identity, and so on. Also, the wording in the bible is good just the way it is - it gets the meaning across.