Believing Is Hard
- Now Think On This
by Steve Martin
"Immediately
the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my
unbelief."
Mark
9:24 NASU
Believing is hard. Having trust that the Lord is
going to do what the Lord has said He was going to do, or what today He is saying
He will do, is hard at times. Is that true with you? It can be for me.
But just think – weren’t the apostles, the chosen
ones who had walked with Jesus for three years right here on earth, yet very
doubtful and afraid after Jesus was crucified? They couldn’t, or wouldn’t, believe
all that He had told them, about His coming back to life after death, did they?
As it is written in Mark 16:14, “Afterward
He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and
He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had
seen Him after He had risen.” NASU
And even later still, just before He ascended, again
we read, “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which
Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” Matt. 28:16,17 NASU
Some of them had even gone back to their previous
jobs, not believing what He had told them directly while with them. Peter, the
one who seemed to proclaim the most faith often when walking with Jesus at his
side, went back to fishing almost immediately after the crucifixion.
Reading in John 21:1-14, “After these things Jesus
manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested
Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of
Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were
together. Simon Peter said to them,
"I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with
you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught
nothing.
But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on
the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to
them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered
Him, "No." And He said to them, " Cast the net on the right-hand
side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they
were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore that
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was
stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples
came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one
hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
So when they got out on the land, they saw a
charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to
them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land,
full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many,
the net was not torn.” NAS
David had to seek the Lord’s face often. Scripture lets
us see his uncertainty in faith, when he questioned the Lord, needing help for
his troubled soul:
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hideYourself in times of trouble?
In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted;
Let them be
caught in the plots which they have devised.” Psalm 10:1-2 NASU
Everybody has their times of doubt and moments of unbelief.
Even when I was on staff with a minister who had the gift of healing and miracles,
I know he had times when he questioned the Lord’s ability to act or move in a
situation.
Each of us wants to have bold faith. We want to
believe all that the Lord has spoken, and be a strong Christian, not only for
others but for ourselves. We want to experience those situations when the Lord
has told us to believe, and we do just that.
But even as the Lord encouraged the apostles each
time after their times of unbelief and wavering, He will also have mercy on us,
knowing our human frailty and difficulties we endure. That is one reason He has
told us to call upon the Holy Spirit, to help us as the Comforter, and the One
who will get us through those faith testing times.
It is good to look back months and years later, and
see how the Lord has strengthened our faith. It is good to know that even
though believing is hard at times, once we have passed through those times, our
faith has been exercised and we have grown because of it.
We will be able to believe for even more next time
we are called upon to believe.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.
Love For His People,
Inc. is a charitable,
not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love
of the Father in the nations.
If these messages
minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and
maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we
consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible
contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
Click here for
safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love
For His People.
If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank
account (where available).
Contribution checks
can be sent to:
Love For His People,
Inc. P.O. Box414 Pineville, NC 28134
Todah rabah! (Hebrew
– Thank you very much.)
Please share Now
Think On This with your friends.
Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com
martinlighthouse@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve
Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous,
LovingHisPeople
Now Think On This #177
“Believing Is Hard” by Steve Martin
Date: In the year of
our Lord 2015 (09.03.15) Thursday at 6:30 pm in Charlotte, NC
All previous editions
of Now Think On This can be found on this
Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
