There are times when I feel spiritually worn down. At these times, I relate to the father of the boy with an evil spirit, who told Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24; you can read the full account here)
God promises that by His grace, He will restore, support, strengthen, and establish me (1 Peter 5:10). The Bible also teaches that Jesus is the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
A lot has happened and is still happening this year that can be disappointing, disheartening, discouraging, or even depressing. In times like these, we can get worn down and feel weak in our faith. When we feel this way, it can be challenging to worship God. We don’t feel like it. We don’t feel like it will be honest or genuine to do so. We may wonder if it’s worth our time and energy.
But as Thomas Watson, a 17th century pastor, once said:
We must distinguish between weakness of faith and no faith. A weak faith is true… Though thy faith be weak, be not discouraged. A weak faith may receive a strong Christ… The promise is not made to strong faith, but to true.”
When I feel weak in my faith, I can also be encouraged by remembering that several times throughout the gospels, Jesus told His followers that they had little faith. Yet, Jesus did not give up on them, and He won’t give up on us.
So, when we are feeling weak in our faith, the thing to do is focus on, and trust in, the strength of Christ. When we worship, what matters is not the strength of our faith as much as the strength of the God Whom we worship.
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