Day 48 | Lord, I Believe
June 14, 2015 - WEEK SEVEN
James Tissot, Jesus and the Little Child, Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription.
DAILY READING
Matthew 17:14-27
Mark 9:14-32
Luke 9:37-45
For Younger Disciples
CONSIDER AS YOU READ
- What limits your ability to receive inspiration and revelation?
- Do you ever feel like echoing the words, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”?
- How do prayer and fasting sharpen our ability to perform and receive priesthood ordinances?
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
Observation number one regarding this account is that when facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: “Lord, I believe.” I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes….
The second observation is a variation of the first. When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign, May 2013, 93–94).
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
- What did the father need for his son to be healed?
- What did Jesus tell the apostles they needed to do to cast out this evil spirit?