The Strife of Faith and Doubt in the Soul
Morgan Dix, D. D. Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help you my unbelief. This was the cry of a soul in distress; it was a frank, honest exclamation, showing what was in the man; it was spoken to God. It was a cry of agony: the agony of hope, of love, of fear, all pouring out and upward, trembling and expecting: the cry of a solitary soul indeed, yet, substantially, a cry from all humanity summed up together. Nor did it meet rebuke; no fault was found with it; but in the granting of the prayer, assent and approval were implied; assent to the description, acceptance of the state of mind it disclosed. I. DOUBT AND FAITH CAN CO-EXIST IN THE HEART AND ACTUALLY DO. Natural to believe; we cannot but cling to God; cannot live without Him. Yet natural to doubt; because we are fallen; the mind is disordered, like the body: Divine truth is not yet made known to us in fulness. So it follows that the mere existence of doubts in intellect or heart is not sinful, nor need it disquiet the faithful. The sin begins where the responsibility begins, viz., in the exercise of the will. II. THE WILL HAS POWER TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO. This is the sheet anchor of moral and intellectual life. No man need be passive, or is compelled to be all his life long subject to bondage under the spirit of doubt. The will can control and shape the thoughts, throwing its weight on one side or the other when the battle rages in the soul. Because it can do this, we are responsible for the strength or weakness of our faith. III. IF WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE, GOD WILL HELP. Lift thy poor hand upward, and another Hand is coming through the darkness to meet it. (Morgan Dix, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. WEB: Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, "I believe. Help my unbelief!"