Unbelief

I'm having to do a lot of reading for my classes this semester, and most of the times, the readings blur together across the lines. I'm taking a Bible class and a theology class, a speech class and a rhetoric class (which analyzes speeches). And they all seem to have foundations in the same time period. I'm not sure that I enjoy or get great truths from these readings most nights, but just the rigorous nature of the exercise of stretching my mind has proven to be a blessing.

God reaches to the highest of our academic pursuits and meets us there. He also meets us in our most basic daily tasks. He is the God of the everyday and the God of highest knowledge. That just amazes me.

There is also something else to be said along those same lines. One giant question has dominated my mind this week as I've been inundated with Old Testament readings: When and why did we stop believing in the God of the Bible? The living Logos. The God of miracles. The God who changed lives radically, and who could be trusted to Provide. When did we start putting God in a box and treat Him like all the other commodities out there in the world today?

Do we, in our heart of hearts, truly believe in God's power, strength, love, justice, and mercy? Where has our faith gone?? Jesus spoke to an unbelieving generation when He walked this earth and He was amazed at their unbelief (Mark 6:6)

It is repeatedly shown in the Word that faith is an essential ingredient for change. Just a few chapters after that wonderment of unbelief in Mark 6 is another revealing passage about belief. In Mark 9:23, Jesus responds to the crowd around him as he attends to a demon-possessed boy. He first bemoans their unbelief: "Oh unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you?" Then a few verses later, when the boy's father says "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!", Jesus hits home and says "If You can? All things are possible to those who believe."

I'm stunned at the disbelief I see in my own life. I'm stunned at how long I've been held in a comatose state of low expectations. And I'm amazed that we as a culture of believers can't seem to really awake and become people who believe that God will bring change and revival and a consuming fire to this generation.