Do You Doubt God’s Ability and Willingness to Heal?
Simply Come and Ask
Have you ever doubted the power or the willingness of God to heal? This is a doubt we may have about our own circumstances, if we’re going through a severe trial of body or even of soul. And it’s certainly a question we have when we see people we love suffering.
There’s an amazing story about someone who was struggling to believe in God’s power to heal. It’s told in the Gospel of Mark 9, and it’s about a man who was very concerned for his son, who had been ailing since childhood. It seems to be a physical ailment that’s very dangerous, and sometimes the child throws himself to the ground or throws himself into the fire and he is in danger of drowning. And the man had gone to the disciples of Jesus, who had been given healing power, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
You can imagine, if you have asked everybody to try to help and then even the disciples of Jesus try to help and they can’t do anything about it, this man certainly had his doubts. But he brought his child to Jesus. And Jesus gives the man the most amazing invitation. He says, “Bring the child to me.” And that’s really something for all of us.
I Have My Doubts
Philip Graham Ryken
This book examines 10 Bible stories that address faith and doubt, reassuring readers that doubt is normal for Christians and that God can use times of uncertainty to renew their faith.
If we have an area of our own lives or something in the lives of people we care about that really needs healing, the best thing we can do is to bring that situation, bring that person, bring that need to Jesus. I think the same invitation Jesus gives to the man in the Gospel is the same invitation he gives to all of us: bring our problems to him.
That’s the invitation. When the man brought his son to Jesus, he said something I think we can all relate to. He said, “If you can heal him.” If you can. I think Jesus was almost amused by the man’s remark. “If you can?” Jesus said, “Of course I can. All things are possible for the one who believes in me, for the one who believes in the power of God.”
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And then the Father said something else I think we can all relate to: “I do believe, but help my unbelief.” He had a confession of faith. Obviously, he believed in Jesus enough to bring his son for healing, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that Jesus was both able and willing to bring healing. I think this tells us something very important about faith and doubt. Sometimes we think of this as an on/off switch. Either I have 100 percent faith or I have 0% faith; it’s either faith or doubt.
It’s really more like a dimmer switch. Many of us are struggling somewhere between faith and doubt most of the time. And that’s why we need to come to Jesus and ask for faith, as well as the faith to believe in his healing power. I love the tenderness that Jesus had for this man. He’s not criticizing him for his doubts, but inviting him to a deeper faith and trust. And the man’s prayers were answered.
That may be the most important part of the story, just to know that God is able and willing to heal, and he will answer our prayers for healing. It may not happen right away. It happened right away for this father, but that’s not the promise of the gospel. This story is a promise of the coming kingdom of God, when all wounds will be healed. And we live in faith, and we long for that day. And by grace, we trust in the power of Jesus to bring healing for us and for the people we love.
Philip Ryken is the author of I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith.
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