To Believe or Not To Believe

"And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land. The great tempatations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." Deuteronomy 29:2-4

Israel had seen with their very eyes all the great works of God as He miraculously delivered them from Egypt and Pharaoh. Yet they still did not perceive because God had not opened their spiritual understanding.

It's easy to look down on Israel for their unbelief. I like to think that if I had seen the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, my faith would be HUGE! Right? Wrong. The cause of my unbelief and lack of faith is not lack of evidence. There is evidence of God's power all around me in the lives of the redeemed who are being transformed into the image of Christ right before my eyes. Nor can I blame my unbelief on what I read in the Bible; the fulfilled prophesies of the Bible are evidence of its reliability. No, my unbelief comes from within. There is always that stubborn innate emnity with God that quenches my capacity to perceive the things of God.

If only I could remember to ask for help when that stubborn unbelief rises up to do battle with my faith and say, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).