Skip to main content

The Surprising Benefit of Hanging Around

                “I do believe!  Help my unbelief!”  (Mark 9:24)
                Those words, spoken to Jesus by a man who wanted his son to be healed, are some of the most universally understood words in the entire Bible.  We want to believe but doubts and fears creep in and derail us. 
                What if you were Jesus?  How would you help this man deepen his faith?  If you were like most churches, you would have given this man a book to read, a mentor to visit with or a seminar to attend.  Churches love programs! 
                But what if we change the picture from spiritual things to Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park?  What if you doubt that the geyser erupts approximately every 65 minutes?
                You could read a book about Old Faithful.  You could have a scientist explain the geology and why it works the way it does.   The best way to build your faith, though, would be to go to Yellowstone and spend a few hours watching what the geyser does.  If you hung around long enough, your disbelief would go away because you would experience it for yourself.
                When Jesus called his first group of followers, what did he do?  He did not put them in a classroom or give them a lecture.  Rather, he said, “Come follow me!” (Mark 1:17)  Jesus knew that if people walked with him day after day and watched what he did, their faith would grow.
                The early church had a word to describe this sort of hanging around.  They called it “devotion”.  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).  They hung around the things of God and that caused something to happen.  It always does.
                At the start of this article, the father’s faith caused him to come to Jesus.  Doing so brought about the healing of his son and the erasing of his doubts as well.
                Faith grows when we hang around with God.  When we read and pray and give him some time and space to work, we start to see and believe. 
                Why not give it a try?  You are welcome to hang around here anytime.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more