Fragility of Faith
As much as the message of Jesus speaks life, love, and forgiveness; his story also tells us of struggles, opposition, and betrayal. Today’s reading highlights the heart issue of Judas, but the fact that the other disciples asked Jesus if they would be the betrayer tells me they did not know if their faithfulness was strong enough to last through trials. I am so often reminded of the father who came to Jesus and his disciples to heal his son in Mark 9:14-29. When Jesus confronts him that everything is possible to him who believes, he responded by declaring, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Today’s reading echoes that sentiment. The disciples had given up everything to follow the Christ, but they still feared their belief was not strong enough. They still worried they would be the one who betrayed their Savior.
Do you feel that today? How about tomorrow? Even those of us who profess a strong faith still struggle with moments of doubt and failure. These men were not perfect. They were trying to follow Jesus in their own power. It isn’t until the Holy Spirit comes and indwells them that we see them truly resolved in what they are called to do, but even then, they had struggles. We read in the book of Acts that they fought amongst themselves. Peter continued to struggle with fear and going against tradition for a long time after Pentecost. The truth is, no matter how strong our religion is in our heart, we are still strapped with the frailty of humanity. In all honesty, I sometimes wonder if my life will be the one that betrays my faith.
David’s life brings so many comfort because he was open and honest with about his deep faith and his failures. He never tried to hide his highs and lows. We have psalms that speak about his tremendous faith and belief that God would always protect and provide for him. We also have psalms that express his regret and repentance. Perhaps, my favorite psalms are the ones where he starts off bemoaning some flaw he perceives in God’s care and then stops himself and reminds himself of all the wonderful things God has done. These psalms always end with praises to God. This is the way I have modeled my life. When I doubt, and we all do, I stop myself and remind myself of God’s goodness. God does not change. Has He been faithful? He will remain so. Has He provided, protected, and prescribed peace in your heart? He remains the same.
When we, like the disciples seated our Jesus at the Last Supper, wonder if we will be the one to cause a bad report about Christians, we need get our eyes off of ourselves. Are we perfect? No way! It’s time we stop trying to convince others that we are. Let’s be honest about our failures. Let’s be honest about our struggles. We shouldn’t be trying ton convince the world that we are perfect simply because we are forgiven. We are human, our God is perfect. Maybe if we, like David, talk openly about our struggles and God’s help through them, more people will understand the Gospel. Perhaps more people will feel welcome in our churches, and perhaps less people would feel judged and unwelcome. We all have moments when our faith is fragile, but God never has a moment when His power is weakened by our doubt.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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