Monday, March 3
Mark 9:14-24
The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit
When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak, and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid, and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, help us! Have compassion on us!” Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
“I believe, help my unbelief!”
This phrase by the father in the story illustrates the connection between faith and unbelief or doubt. And as Pastor Paul shared in his sermon on Sunday doubt can be directed at more than just belief or lack of belief in God. We can doubt God’s power or love. We can doubt the church or our local congregation.
We can understand the doubt of the father in the story. He had been through so much. He had seen his son exhibit behaviors that were dangerous to himself and to the people around him. Most likely the father and his wife did everything they could to help their son find health and healing. But nothing had worked.
And now the man was expressing exasperation. “I believe, help my unbelief.”
Jesus was very accepting of the father. He healed the son of the spirit that had been inside of him. He didn’t criticize the father for his unbelief. Instead he acted in a way that would diminish his unbelief or doubt in the future.
Have you had a moment in your own life where you could have shouted out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” Please share.
Tuesday, March 4
1 Kings 19:4-18
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Elijah Meets God at Horeb
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill, and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Like the father in the story, we read yesterday, Elijah had experienced many problems. And he was frustrated. Despite all that Elijah had done King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were still threats to Eijah. Elijah had not been able to convince the two not to threaten Elijah.
So Elijah was ready to give up. His doubts were overwhelming!
He wanted to die and fell asleep under a broom tree thinking that he might die.
But God would not let Elijah stay in his deep sense of sorrow and remorse. God sent an angel to help Elijah. The angel told Elijah to get up and eat. And that food was able to sustain Elijah for forty days.
God was willing to help Elijah despite the doubts of Elijah. God is willing to do the same for all people who find themselves in a deep place of doubt.
Have you had a time in your life where your doubts were so high that you were willing to give up on your faith? Please share.
Wednesday, March 5
Luke 1:26-34
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
We might think that the great people of faith didn’t have doubts. But this story illustrates otherwise.
Most likely we’re very familiar with the story. The angel Gabriel went to Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby, that the Holy Spirit would basically impregnate her, and that the son to be born would be the Messiah.
Her question for Gabriel is most likely one that we would have asked. “How can this be???”
Mary had doubt about a message of God.
Certainly we can understand what led to Mary’s doubts. At that point in history no person in the history of the world had ever delivered a baby as a virgin.
Mary’s doubts were understandable. And Gabriel understood Mary’s doubts. Gabriel never punished Mary for voicing her confusion and doubt.
And ultimately this is how God responds to our doubts. God listens carefully to our doubts; and God does not judge or punish us for our doubts.
What does Mary’s question of “How can this be” be a source of comfort to you? Please share.
Thursday, March 6
Psalm 13
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The writer of the Psalm was at the end of his rope. And the difficulty of his situation prompted him to complain to God.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”
The writer of this Psalm didn’t stop believing in God. But he did question God about the power and the care that God was sharing. The writer wanted to know how long God was going to let the current situation happen.
This writer of the Psalm had significant doubts.
Read the Psalm carefully and see if you can resonate with some of the words. Are the experiences that the writer of the Psalm shared similar to experiences that you have had? Have you ever shared the words at the start of the Psalm or something similar to God in your prayers?
Please share.
Friday, March 7
Jonah 4:1-5
Jonah’s Anger
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
Throughout the four chapters of the book of Jonah, Jonah shared his displeasure with God.
At the start of the book God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh. Not only did Jonah refuse to do what God asked, Jonah went the opposite direction.
At the end of the story after God had displayed significant comfort to Jonah, Jonah was still upset. He had doubts.
It’s interesting to see why Jonah was so upset with God. He shared this in the last part of Jonah 4:2
“I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” Jonah 4:2b
Jonah doubted God because of God’s goodness and sense of doing what is right. Jonah didn’t want God to extend this goodness and sense of what is right to the people of Nineveh.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Saturday, March 8
John 20:24-29
Jesus and Thomas
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Thomas, one of the 12 Apostles, bears the moniker of doubting. Thomas wanted to know with certainty that Jesus was alive. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b
Thomas needed to see evidence before he would stop believing or doubting that Jesus was alive.
His doubts are not surprising. Many of us might have a hard time wondering how a dead man became alive.
Have you ever had a time in your life where you have uttered words that are similar to the words that Thomas uttered in this story? Please share.