How to Pray for Faith in the Midst of Doubt

This article is part of the How to Pray series.

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” —Mark 9:21–24

The Struggle to Believe

Mark 9 records an instance when a father pleads with Jesus on behalf of his son, who is possessed by an unclean spirit. For years the man has watched in horror as the demon tries to destroy his child. The father believes in Jesus enough to seek his help, but we see right away that his belief comes with a fair amount of hesitation: “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (Mark 9:22).

Jesus’s response makes it clear that his power is more than sufficient, but the man must believe—he must have faith—that this is the case. “Immediately,” we are told, the father cries out and says, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). He recognizes his need to place his complete trust in Jesus; he also confesses that he is going to require help getting there.

We can relate, can’t we? We somehow do and do not believe simultaneously—our faith is often mingled with doubt, and we must rely on God to deliver us from our uncertainty. Even faith itself is a gracious gift from the Lord: he plants the seed, he waters it, and he makes it grow.

Where to Start

Perhaps the biggest obstacle many of us contend with as we seek to grow in our faith is discouragement. We are horrified and embarrassed by how small our faith is, and so we feel unworthy to approach God until we “do better.” We expect him to be as annoyed with us as we are with ourselves. But the Bible assures us that this isn’t the case.

God isn’t surprised or frustrated when we struggle to fully trust him. Psalm 103:13–14 assures us that “as a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” God already knows when our faith is weak, and so we don’t have to hesitate to confess it to him and to ask for his help.

Step one is for us to recognize our dependence on God and to lean hard into it. When you struggle to have faith, remember that God looks on you with compassion, eager to show you favor. The very act of turning to God is an act of faith.

A Simple Cry

When we pray for God to increase our faith, our prayer does not have to be long, beautifully articulated, or phrased exactly the right way. It can be a short, desperate plea, just like we see in Mark 9: “I believe; help my unbelief!” In fact, we can even pray those exact words back to God.

This type of prayer is seen often in the Bible. We read of God’s people in dire situations, helpless to do anything but call out to their faithful God to come to their aid. Second Chronicles 20 records a time when an army of enemies arose against the nation of Judah. King Jehoshaphat prays: “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chron. 20:12)

We don’t have literal armies after us, but we know the desperation that comes when whatever is attacking us is way too much for us; we can relate to being overwhelmed by the weight of sin and grief. When those times come, we, too, can pray this simple prayer: “I have no idea what to do, but I am trusting you.”

The very act of turning to God is an act of faith.

The Object of Our Faith

Jesus’s words to the apostles in Luke 17:5–6 are also a great encouragement to us. When his followers ask of him, “Increase our faith,” Jesus assures them that it isn’t the size of their faith that matters most: “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you (Luke 17:5–6).

Jesus wants us to understand that our focus must rest primarily on the object of our faith—on him! As we turn to and rely on him, with even the tiniest bit of faith, that faith is nurtured and strengthened. It grows and it flourishes. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matt. 21:21–22) because it is an expression of dependence on the one who made the mountains and can do anything he pleases with them. As so often happens in the Bible, God redirects our focus from us and our abilities back to him.

The best way to increase our faith is to commune with the object of our faith. We do so through prayer and by studying and meditating on his word.

God Is for Us

One of the most important things we can remember as we seek to grow in our faith is that God is for us (Rom. 8:31). Because we are in Jesus, he is on our side. His faithfulness never wavers; it is never in doubt. Our faith in him is based on and motivated by his faithfulness to us, seen most clearly and beautifully in the gift of his Son.

Don’t hesitate to come to God when you know that your faith is weak. Don’t wait until you think you’ve got your act together to talk to him or ask for his help. He knows you, inside and out (Ps. 139). “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Isa. 42:3). He wants you to draw near, and he will help you.

Erika Allen is the author of the ESV Prayer Journal: Eight-Volume Set.

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