Chapter VII - THE WAY OF FAITH

"And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

These words have been a help and strength to thousands of souls in their pursuit of salvation and the gifts of God. Notice that it is in relation to an afflicted child that they were pronounced, in the fight of faith when seeking healing from the Lord Jesus. In them we see that in one and the same soul there can arise a struggle between faith and unbelief, and that it is not without a struggle that we come to believe in Jesus and in His all-power to heal the sick. In this we find the needful encouragement for realizing the Saviors power.

[WStS Note: Concerning Mr. Murray's phrase: "a struggle between faith and unbelief", we wish to comment. A honest Christian may have "a struggle between faith and unbelief", but not between faith and the "sin" of unbelief. This "struggle" to establish a position of faith would simply be an honest lack of faith, (i.e., 'your faith groweth exceedingly' (2 Thessalonians 1:3).). When an established position of faith turns back in unbelief, that is sin. "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Faith and sin cannot reside in the same vessel at the same time. "Sin, like faith, is an act of the will, but in opposition to and to the exclusion of faith. 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23). It is an impossibility to be both holy and sinful at the same time, just as it is impossible to be dwelling in faith and sin in the same moment, e.g., Charles G. Finney labelled this concept, the Unity of Moral Action. [Please read '' -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Voice/Unity.of. Moral.Action.html -- by Charles G. Finney] 'No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the One, and love the other; or else he will hold to the One, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon' (Luke 16:13)." --from "" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Must.We.Then. Sin.html --, by Tom Stewart]

I speak here especially to sufferers who do not doubt the power or the will of the Lord Jesus to heal in this day without the use of earthly remedies, but who lack the boldness to accept healing for themselves. They believe in the divine power of Christ, they believe in a general manner His good will to heal; they have acquired, either by the Scriptures, or by facts of healings by the Lord alone which have taken place in our days, the intellectual persuasion that the Lord can help even them, but they shrink back from accepting healing, and from saying with faith, The Lord has heard me, I know that He is healing me.

Take notice first that without faith no one can be healed. When the father of the afflicted child said to Jesus, If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us, Jesus replied: "If thou canst believe." [Mark 9:23] Jesus had the power to heal and He was ready to do it, but He casts responsibility on the man. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." [Mark 9:23] In order to obtain your healing from Jesus, it is not enough to pray. Prayer without faith is powerless. It is "the prayer of faith" which saves the sick (James 5:15). If you have already asked for healing from the Lord, or if others have asked it for you, you must, before you are conscious of any change, be able to say with faith, On the authority of God's Word I have the assurance that He hears me and that I shall be healed. To have faith means in your case to surrender your body absolutely into the Lord's hands, and to leave yourself entirely to Him. Faith receives healing as a spiritual grace which proceeds from the Lord even while there is no conscious change in the body. Faith can glorify God and say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul... Who healeth all [my] diseases" (Psalm 103:1-3). The Lord requires this faith that He may heal.

Psalm 103 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;

But how is such faith to be obtained? Tell your God the unbelief which you find in your heart, and count on Him for deliverance from it. [WStS: Not the "sin" of unbelief, but simply an honest lack of faith.] Faith is not money by which your healing can be purchased from the Lord. It is He who desires to awaken and develop in you the necessary faith. "Help Thou mine unbelief," cried the father of the child. It was his ardent desire that his faith should not come short. Confess to the Lord all the difficulty you have to believe Him on the ground of His Word; tell Him you want to be rid of this unbelief, that you bring it to Him with a will to hearken only to His Word. Do not lose time in deploring your unbelief, but look to Jesus. The light of His countenance will enable you to find the power to believe in Him (Psalm 44:3).

Psalm 43 3 O send out Thy Light and Thy Truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles.

He calls on you to trust in Him; listen to Him, and by His grace faith will triumph in you. Say to Him, Lord, I am still aware of the unbelief which is in me. I find it difficult to believe that I am sure of my healing because I possess Him who works it. And, nevertheless, I want to conquer this unbelief. Thou, Lord, wilt give me the victory. I desire to believe, I will believe, by Thy grace I dare to say I can believe. Yes, Lord, I believe, for Thou comest to the help of my unbelief. It is when we are in intimate communion with the Lord, and when our heart responds to His, that unbelief is overcome and conquered.
[WStS: Not the "sin" of unbelief, but simply an honest lack of faith.]

It is needful also to testify to the faith one has. Be resolved to believe that which the Lord says to you, to believe, above all, that which He is. Lean wholly upon His promises. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick" [James 5:15]. "I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26). Look to Jesus, who "bare our sicknesses" (Matthew 8:17), and who healed all who came to Him; count on the Holy Spirit to manifest in your heart the presence of Jesus who is also now in heaven, and to work also in your body the power of His grace. Praise the Lord without waiting to feel better, or to have more faith. Praise Him, and say with David, "O Lord, my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me" (Psalm 30:2). Divine healing is a spiritual grace which can only be received spiritually and by faith, before feeling its effect on the body. Accept it, then, and give glory to God. When the Lord Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the child, he rent him sore, so that "he was as one dead," inasmuch as "many said, 'He is dead'" [Mark 9:26]. If, therefore, your sickness does not yield at once, if Satan and your own unbelief attempt to get the upper hand, do not heed them, cling closely to Jesus your Healer, and He will surely heal you.