Throughout the course of his public ministry, Jesus performed incredible works of power. Here was a man who could do anything—turn water into wine, heal the deaf, cast out demons, raise the dead. Yet Scripture seems to indicate that his power could be impeded by an attitude of the heart the Bible calls “unbelief.” Listen to this down note from Mark’s Gospel—“because of their unbelief he couldn’t do any miracles among them…."
Later in the same Gospel, Jesus rebuked a group of Sadducees for mocking belief in a physical resurrection. Striking directly at their unbelief, he said:
"Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” (Mark 12:24)
I wonder how many of us make the same mistake. Are we selling God’s power short, expecting too little of him? Have we given up on people who seem far from God, failing to pray with faith, believing God’s light is stronger than the darkness that blinds them?
Let’s not let sociology or political correctness or difficult circumstances or the scientific and technological prowess of our culture suffocate our faith in God and in his word.
The devil, too, has his power, which is one reason we encounter such fierce resistance when we try to follow God’s will. But, once again, his is a derivative power that cannot ultimately hurt those who put their trust in God.
I don’t know about you but I long for more of God’s power to be displayed in his church and in me. Let’s ask God to help us recognize unbelief for what it is and stop indulging it. Instead, let’s commit ourselves to knowing the Scriptures and the power of God, not simply for our own sake but for the glory of our great and mighty God.
