When Your Faith Feels Too Small to Move Anything
The Heart of the Message
Pastor Dan Edmondson looks at the story of a desperate father in Mark chapter 9, a man whose son is tormented by a spirit the disciples could not cast out. Drawing from an unusual encounter with tiny Jesus figurines showing up all over Naples, Pastor Dan asks a simple question: is the God you believe in actually big enough? This sermon walks through three honest, practical shifts in how we see God: learning to be at peace without seeing the whole picture, separating God’s power from His goodness, and understanding that faith is allowed to grow slowly.
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What Does It Mean to Have Enough Faith?
A lot of people assume they need a large, unshakable amount of faith before God will move in their life. Pastor Dan points to the father in Mark 9, who cries out through tears, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” That father did not have his doubts fully resolved, and he still saw Jesus act. Pastor Dan’s point is that faith is not something you grit your teeth and manufacture more of. It is something you honestly bring to Jesus, even when it is mixed with real uncertainty.
How Can I Trust God’s Goodness When Life Doesn’t Make Sense?
Pastor Dan makes a distinction he says most churchgoers get backwards: we rarely doubt that God has the power to help us, but we quietly wonder whether He wants to. Looking at the Greek grammar behind the father’s request in Mark 9:22, “if you can do anything,” Pastor Dan explains that the father was not questioning Jesus’ ability. He was hoping Jesus was willing. Pastor Dan connects this to a visit he made to a grieving church member who had just lost her son, telling her that so much of life is out of our control, and that our security has to rest in God’s goodness rather than in understanding every outcome.
Is It Okay to Have Doubts as a Christian?
Yes, and Pastor Dan is direct about this. He says we have to become comfortable with not seeing the whole picture, pointing to Jesus’ words in Mark 9:19, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” Pastor Dan reads that not as anger but as sadness, Jesus reminding His own followers, people who had already watched Him perform miracle after miracle, that He was bigger than their doubts. He also clarifies a commonly misquoted verse, Romans 14:23, noting that a lack of faith is not the same thing as sin.
Scripture Focus
Main Text: Mark 9:14-24
This passage is quoted from the New King James Version. Because of copyright restrictions, I’m not able to reproduce the full text here, but you can read the complete passage on Bible Gateway. In short, a father brings his son, who is tormented by a spirit, to Jesus after the disciples were unable to help. Jesus heals the boy after the father cries out, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
Supporting Verses:
- Romans 8:31
- Romans 14:23
- Isaiah 61:1
