Help me overcome my unbelief

There is a remarkable story in the ninth chapter of Luke's gospel which addresses the nature of faith.  It concerns a desperate father whose son is afflicted by evil spirits.  In Jesus' absence, some of his disciples have attempted to drive out the spirits without success.  When Jesus appears on the scene, the father appeals to him, 'If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.'  Within that cry for help we find both an element of faith (he asks Jesus for help), and a level of uncertainty ('if you can do anything').  Jesus responds, with the assertion that, ‘Everything is possible for one who believes,’ to which the father exclaims, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’

I wonder whether that is a cry to God which many of us have offered.  We know that the writer of the Biblical book of Hebrews tells us that, 'Without faith it is impossible to please God,' (Hebrews 11:6) and that as followers of Jesus we are called to a life of faith.  Yet there are times for most, if not all, of us when our faith appears incredibly small in comparison to the issue we may be facing, and we echo the heartfelt cry of the father, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’

I'm going to make a bit of a confession at this point.  Most of the time I am a reasonably laid-back type of person.  I don't usually allow myself to become anxious or to let problems get on top of me; mostly I am able to rest in the assurance that God is in control and things will work out ok if I continue to trust in him.  Having said that, there is a particular current issue which, for some reason, has managed to get under my skin.  I sometimes find myself waking up early with it on my mind; or it tries to follow me like a relentless dark cloud in the sky which proves so difficult to escape.

Someone might remind me of Paul's advice and promise to the Philippian Christians, 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'  I know that the problems and difficulties which Paul faced dwarf anything I may experience.  I also know that as a Church leader I should try to set an example of faith.  By admitting my current struggle I am perhaps making myself vulnerable, but maybe for too long many Christian leaders have tried to hide behind a mask of perfection.

I am currently using a daily devotional book by Steven Furtick called "Sun Stand Still."  In today's passage he addresses the struggle between uncertainty and faith: 

"Perhaps true faith always feels this way.  On the one hand, I know that God is able to do anything.  On the other hand, I think he's willing to do this specific thing.  And I'm pretty sure he will.  But I can't be completely sure.  That's where audacious faith comes in.  Audacity isn't the absence of uncertainty and ambiguity.  Audacity is believing that God's promise is bigger than my perhaps."

Even as I write this, I have a sense of God's hand in it all.  I know very well that nothing is impossible for him, and I believe that he WILL work things out.  Maybe the struggle with faith and doubt is just part of our human condition.  I just pray that I will continue to grow in faith and leave many of the doubts behind.  In the story on Mark 9, although the father's faith was small and he admitted his doubts, Jesus responded to what faith he had and the son was set free from the afflicting spirits. Ultimately, it's not the size of our faith which is the vital factor, but in whom we put our faith.