We know we’re supposed to have faith in God. The book of Proverbs says to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
So important is faith that it’s the key to our salvation in Christ.
“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.’” – Acts 16:31
If we want to make God happy, we need to trust Him!
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6
At the opposite end of the spectrum lie the unbelieving. These folk reject the possibility of God’s involvement in human affairs. If He exists at all, He doesn’t care about us. They dismiss him as irrelevant.
“In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. … 11He says to himself, ‘God will never notice; He covers His face and never sees.’” – Psalm 10:4, 11
This attitude of practical atheism (behaving as though God doesn’t exist) angers the Lord. It’s something He must judge.
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” – Romans 1:18-21
But what about a middle ground?
There are times when we both believe and disbelieve God. We accept His Word as true but we find ourselves struggling to believe His promises. It’s like we’re walking a tightrope; it’s dangerous and we’re nervous. Having started, we can’t turn around, but we’re afraid to finish. Stuck out there in the middle, we’re halfway confident.
The psalmist David knows what this is like.
“The LORD will vindicate me; Your love, LORD, endures forever–do not abandon the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 138:8
At first glance, this verse appears to express nothing more than a simple prayer for God’s blessing. David is confident the Lord will justify him. He bases his assurance on the unchanging love of God. The love of the Lord is eternal; it lasts forever! So David has no reason to fear the future; God has his back.
But he adds a request. “Don’t abandon me, Lord!” Standing on God’s promise, certain of His love, David still hesitates. He has faith in God, but is his faith warranted? Will God come through for him, or is David imagining something the Lord never guaranteed?
Centuries later, Jesus encounters a similar situation.
“‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ 23‘“If you can”?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ 24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” – Mark 9:22-24
The father of a demonized child implores Jesus to deliver his son. The man must have heard of Christ’s many miracles because he knows enough to ask Jesus for help.
But he’s not 100% certain. “Were those other cases easier? Is my son’s problem too difficult for Jesus? I trust Him, but–I don’t know. Help!”
Like David, this father is halfway confident. He has real faith, but it’s not pure. Doubt, reluctance, fear–these taint his hope and trust.
How does God respond to us when we’re halfway confident?
Let’s revisit David’s psalm. The verse we looked at is the final one of Psalm 138. As a result, we don’t get a direct response from the Lord. But in the first seven verses, we find several references to praising God and the reasons for such praise. David doesn’t change his mind by the time he pens the last verse. He knows who God is and what He’s done. David has every reason to be confident in the Lord.
But still!
Does the Lord tolerate our doubts? Or does He insist on absolute trust devoid of the slightest deviation?
We don’t get answers from this psalm. We can take it by faith that the Lord loves David enough to bless him, but Psalm 138 lacks a ninth verse.
To get a deeper insight, we need to look to Jesus. How does He respond to the distressed dad?
“When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the impure spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ He said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ 26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He’s dead.’ 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.” – Mark 9:25-27
Christ gives him what he asked for. After addressing the man’s doubts, He frees the son, thereby honoring the father’s faith.
And Jesus even gives this man a second opportunity to trust, because it looks like Christ kills the son rather than saves him. That’s what the crowd thinks! But what about the dad? Does he believe that Jesus destroyed his child or rescued him?
The man didn’t have to wait long. Lifting up the boy and getting him to stand on his own two feet, Jesus proved He’s trustworthy. And compassionate.
God can handle our hesitations. He loves us enough to come to our aid even if our faith isn’t perfect. When we’re halfway confident, we need only be honest with the Lord. We don’t have to hide anything from Jesus. (We can’t anyway!)
If we trust in God, we can afford to reveal the condition of our souls to Him. Daring to do so demonstrates true faith, the kind that’s willing to be genuine before Him.
He’ll meet us halfway.
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