2 Corinthians 4:13-18

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

With April 15th just two weeks away I am reminded of what Benjamin Franklin in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy once said: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Yet Paul reminds us of a greater reality in which he had come to believe. “I had faith so I spoke,” In order to discover this reality that Paul wanted to share with the Corinthian community we need to look back at the scripture that Paul was quoting from found in Psalm 116:

1 “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!” 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. 7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” 12 How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. 17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.”

Paul’s situation fits surprisingly well with what the Psalmist describes in Psalm 116, he had lived this throughout a ministry that was far from easy. Paul is calling us to have faith that:

• Sees

We are reminded of the struggles he faced as the cords of death surrounded him as the bitter pungent smell of the grave grabbed for him. Yet there, deep in the depths, the Redeemer rescued him. It’s easy to see the problems but do we see the provider? The One who was delivered into the pain and punishment of the cross and descended into the depths of death delivered him. The One who conquered death and rose to life delivered his soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet from stumbling. As Paul reflects on the Redeemer’s power to rescue he says “I believed in God” Paul reminds us that there is more to this life than death and taxes, and the story doesn’t end with death and defeat because of the power and provision of the One who is able to raise us up and give us new life. Have you ever asked the question, “Where is God?” It’s a question that is often asked especially in the midst of tragedy. “Where is God in all this?” we wonder, and Paul is reminding us that the resurrection is our reassurance. The Lord is right here in our midst and seated at the right hand in His presence, the answer is He is everywhere. Amid the trials and tempests, in the middle of the struggles, the Savior is there and He can save. Today whether you face tragedy or trial take comfort in Christ. Paul wanted the Corinthian church and us to remember our new reality. It’s easy for us to react based on our circumstances instead of our belief based on Christ. Paul said “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” It was his belief that impacted his behavior. Now don’t misunderstand what Paul is talking about here, he is contrasting our present problems with our future promise. Paul understands that at some point we all die, he doesn’t contest the truth that in time everything corruptible will crumble, that everything on this planet will perish, whether it’s a city, home, or even our life. Yet in the face of our struggles and the stark reality of death Paul is steering us toward the promise, the hope found in the hands of an eternal God. The question is what do we see? There is an old story about a disciple and his teacher. “Where shall I find God?” this disciple once asked. “Here,” the teacher replied. “Then why can’t I see God?” “Because you do not look.” the teacher answered simply. “But what should I look for?” the disciple continued. “Nothing, Just look,” the teacher said. “But must I look in a special kind of way?” the disciple persisted. “No, the ordinary way will do.” “But don’t I always look the ordinary way?” The disciple asked in agitation. “No, you don’t,” the teacher said. “Because to look, you must be here and you are mostly somewhere else.” So often we don’t see the Savior simply because we are someplace else. Today stop and see the One sitting beside you, stop focusing on the problems and see the promise.

Mark 9:17-24

17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.* So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 19 Jesus said to them,* “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

One of the lessons that the Lord has been teaching me in this life is that there is still a lot of growing to go in my faith. Spending time with the Savior will reveal your spiritual shortcomings. Here is a man who looks at the Lord and utters the words “if you can” how often do we come with our doubt? Jesus responds by reminding him of necessity of faith to which he responds: “I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” I am fascinated by this faltering faith statement. At first it just seems like a foolish contradictory statement yet this man manages to summarize in one sentence, what is probably the greatest obstacle to spiritual growth, faltering faith. This man was saying that although he believed in what Jesus was able to do, he was still dealing with doubt. Here is a man facing up to his faltering faith and being:

•  Honest

Even though he doubted, he still dared to be real and responded honestly to Jesus’ hard and humbling question “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” It’s easy to criticize this father’s faith but at least he didn’t fake it. What good would it have done him to claim a complete and perfect faith when Jesus already knew the feebleness of his faith? We may not have the faith to move mountains or to fully see the unseen, but if we will humble ourselves and be honest about our faltering faith we might see our families become free. Here was a father who didn’t fake it when the freedom of his family was on the line. What if we were willing to admit where we were and were willing to learn and hang in during these hard times? Honesty with our doubts can lead to the discovery of a deeper faith. Trials and temptations, difficulties and defeat can be either the food of faith or the faltering of it. Yet doubts can lead us to discovery as we search for answers. If we would stop long enough to look back on our lives we would realize that it is often only after a time of doubt and questioning that we grew in faith. Most of us want the comfortable and convenient yet how do you grow faith when everything is fine? It’s easy to rest on the foundation of faith when things are favorable, but it’s only when tragedy and trials and the hurt of heartache come that we find what our faith is really made of. Having faith that is strong like steel takes heat to harden and temper it. Many of us try to manage our doubt instead of letting it motivate us to move past the answers into a deeper discover of the Almighty. If we would stop denying our doubt and admit our questions of uncertainty we could step through the door of doubt into discovery. Why do we feel the need to try and manage our misgivings? What if we were willing to admit we don’t have the answers?

The good news is that when we face up to our faltering faith, when we admit it, that is, when we give God room to do only what He can do. Notice that Jesus didn’t say: “Sorry, you don’t have enough faith.” or “Muster up some more faith and come back later.” No Jesus responded and restored. We need to be honest with our doubts. It is only when we stop faking and start facing that we can grow in deeper faith. His honesty led to:

•  Healing

“When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, ‘You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter him no more!’ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead!’” Here is an example of Satan and his evil servants’ determination to destroy. They seek to possess, control, and destroy. “Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose” What they seek to ruin Jesus resurrects and restores, the young man became normal. The demons lost control in the presence and power of the Lord. This is what Jesus does in response to faith, even a little faith, He frees and liberates what is lost.

Today when it comes to your faith do you need to fess up and be honest? Which is the greater sin, faltering in our faith or faking our faith? Even bold believers have times of doubt. John the Baptist in Matthew 11:1-6 had a bout with doubt, Jesus didn’t condemn Him for it instead He reassured him. I am acutely aware of my doubting questions over the years: Are you real? Do you really care about me? Will you really provide? If you do care, why did this happen to me!” God is not threatened by your doubts, He delights in increasing the faith of His children, so be honest and experience His healing.