How Can I Get Faith?

One of the greatest prayers ever recorded was that of the man who brought his son to have a demon cast out.  The disciples couldn't do it.  So the distraught man was begging Jesus to help.  Jesus asked the man how long this had been going on.  The man answered, "'From childhood,' he said.  'And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.'  Then Jesus said to him, ''If You can"? Everything is possible to the one who believes.'  Immediately the father of the boy cried out, "I do believe! Help my unbelief.�' (Mark 9:14-29, HCSB)

Jesus went on to cast out the demon.  It was a great miracle.  It was life changing for that boy and his dad.  But don't miss two key components.  1 - Jesus said, "Everything is possible to the one who believes."  2 - The man said, "I do believe! Help my unbelief."  Jesus is telling us that the key is faith, belief, trust.  The man said he did believe, but also had doubts.  He was asking God to help his faith be stronger!  And what was the result?  The healing of the boy - exactly what the man was asking for.

In Matthew's account of this very same story, the disciples asked why they couldn't cast out that demon.  '"Because of your little faith,� He told them. "For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, �Move from here to there,� and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."' (Matthew 7:19-20, HCSB)

So why don't we regularly see mountains moving?  Because our faith is smaller than the smallest seed.  We allow doubt and "reason" to take over.  We allow fear to conquer.  Some say, "I know Jesus is the way to salvation, but I just don't believe."  My response is to ask God to show you how to believe.  "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8, HCSB)

Ok, so that sounds good on paper, but it doesn't work in real life.  That seems like a total "Sunday School" answer, doesn't it?  How do we put that into real life practice?  I would say that many times when we doubt God, it is because we are over thinking and over analyzing too much.  Jesus instructed us to have faith like a child.  Let me illustrate.  When our oldest daughter, Emma, was about 2 1/2 years old, she was climbing the ladder into her top bunk.  I was walking towards her, but was still across the room.  I told her to come here, to which she simply jumped off the ladder.  In her mind, she had no doubt I would catch her.  Her faith wasn't depending on her reason and calculations about how quick I could cross the room and if I was strong enough to catch her.  It was actually all up to me.  Faith isn't about you, but rather it's about God.  It's not about the one who has the faith, it's about the One in whom you are placing your faith.

When we talk of "placing our faith in Jesus", that is exactly what we mean.  It's not about me, it's about Him.  If He is who He said He is, then He will do what He said He would - forgive your sins, and give you a place in Heaven.

So, the question is, are you willing to jump off the ladder?