“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
— Mark 9:24
For years, I have asked Jesus to heal me.
I have prayed through pain. I have prayed when my body hurt so badly that it was difficult to think about anything else. I have asked again and again, “Lord, please heal me.”
Then one day, I felt the Holy Spirit impress something upon my heart:
Why do you keep asking Me for something I have already done?
That thought stopped me.
The Bible says:
“By His wounds we are healed.”
— Isaiah 53:5
And again:
“By His wounds you have been healed.”
— 1 Peter 2:24
I began to wonder if perhaps my prayer needed to change.
Instead of only asking Jesus for healing, what if I began thanking Him for what He has already done?
Thank You, Jesus, that by Your wounds I am healed.
That sounds easy when the pain is quiet.
But what about when it isn’t?
What about when pain shoots through your body? What about when you wake up hurting, go to bed hurting, and wonder how much longer you can endure it? What about when everything you feel seems to contradict everything you are trying to believe?
That is where I have found myself.
I believe Jesus heals.
I believe His Word.
I believe in the power of His wounds, His cross, and His resurrection.
And yet, when my body is screaming in pain, doubt can whisper:
If you are healed, why do you still hurt?
Recently, I felt the Lord bring another desperate prayer to my mind. A father had brought his suffering son to Jesus. When Jesus spoke to him about believing, the father answered with words that have become precious to me:
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
What an honest prayer.
The man believed enough to bring his son to Jesus, but he also knew there was unbelief mixed into his faith. He did not hide it. He did not pretend. He simply asked Jesus to help him with it.
And Jesus did.
Jesus healed his son.
I love that.
The father did not come with perfect faith. He came with faith that needed help. And the One who healed his son was also the One who could meet him in his unbelief.
Perhaps that is one of the best prayers we can pray when we are waiting for healing.
Not simply:
Jesus, heal me.
But:
Thank You, Jesus, that by Your wounds I am healed. And when my pain tells me differently, please help my unbelief.
When the pain is loud, help my unbelief.
When the diagnosis frightens me, help my unbelief.
When another day passes and I still hurt, help my unbelief.
When I begin to wonder if Your promises are for everyone except me, help my unbelief.
When what I feel in my body seems stronger than what I know in my spirit, help my unbelief.
I do believe, Jesus.
I believe You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I believe You are still compassionate.
I believe You still heal.
I believe there is power in Your name.
I believe Your wounds were not in vain.
But Jesus, when pain makes me doubt what I believe, help my unbelief.
And perhaps one day soon, the very pain that has challenged my faith will be gone. Perhaps the healing I have thanked You for will become the testimony I can finally feel from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, from the inside to the outside of my body.
Until then, I will keep thanking You.
Not because the pain is imaginary.
Not because suffering does not matter.
Not because I understand the waiting.
But because You are still Jesus.
And I still believe.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You that by Your wounds I am healed. Forgive me for the times I have allowed what I feel to become louder than what You have said. You know the pain in my body. You know how long I have waited. You know the moments when I am strong in faith and the moments when pain causes doubt to rise within me.
Lord, I believe.
Help my unbelief.
When my body tells me nothing has changed, help my unbelief. When pain tries to steal my hope, help my unbelief. When waiting makes me weary, help my unbelief.
And Jesus, I ask that You help my unbelief sooner rather than later by relieving me of all pain—from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, from the inside to the outside of my body.
Thank You for what You have done.
Thank You for what You are doing.
Thank You for what I cannot yet see.
I believe You, Jesus.
And where I struggle to believe, please help me.
Amen.
Think About It
Have you been asking Jesus again and again for something when perhaps He is inviting you to begin thanking Him?
What pain, diagnosis, fear, or delay has been speaking louder than God’s Word?
Can you honestly pray today:
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief”?
