Today we look at a very short, raw, and candid prayer that a father prays to Jesus as he is seeking healing for his son. “I believe! Help my unbelief.” It sounds rather confusing at first glance…how can you both believe and disbelieve at the same time? This is most likely an inner struggle we have experienced, but maybe we haven’t put it quite into these words. We will explore the difference between unbelief and doubt. Is the father judging his doubt too harshly and calling it unbelief? Does he believe? What happens in our prayer life when we don’t have faith as strong as we would like, and we are prone to doubt? We will wrestle with these questions and ultimately we will take confidence and comfort in Jesus. After all, prayer is less about ourselves and what we lack and more about Jesus and what He has.
The father senses how serious this situation is and he panics. If the outcome rests upon the strength of his faith, then he is in big trouble!
What’s the difference between unbelief and doubt?
Do you believe in yourself, or do you believe in Jesus?
We get into trouble when we focus more on the strength of our own faith, rather than on the One in whom we put our faith.
“Nothing so furthers our prayer life as the feeling of our own helplessness.”
Sermon Discussion Questions | “I Believe! Help My Unbelief”
What do you think is the difference between unbelief and doubt?
How do you know how strong your faith is? Can you think of times in your life when your faith felt very strong? Very weak? What factors affected this for you?
Why is it that so often we focus more on ourselves and our strength and abilities, rather than focusing more on Jesus?
What is one thing you’ve learned from this story that will help you going forward in your prayer life?
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