Believing the unbelievable.
We were in crisis mode. Our beloved Dachshund Chester had gone completely lame in his back end in the middle of the night. He was paralyzed, incontinent, unable to walk or even wag his tail. We were reeling, trying to figure out what to do.
Our regular vet said, "Just put him down. He will never recover."
In a last ditch effort to save him we found a vet an hour away who thought she might be able to help him. It was our last hope; we were desperate. We left him with her for a week, praying for a miracle. That same week I was sitting at the computer working on something, listening to the radio when this song (Miracles) by Jefferson Starship came on. The lyrics astounded me.
If only you believe like I believe, baby (if only you believe like I believe)
We'd get by
If only you believe in miracles (if only you believed in miracles so would i)
If only you believe like I believe, baby (if only you believe like I believe)
We'd get by
If only you believe in miracles (if only you believed in miracles so would i)
I have to confess, I just sat there and cried for a while, because we desperately needed a miracle, but our belief meter was reading pretty low. I knew without a doubt that God was speaking to me, but what he was saying threw me for a loop. He was saying if you'll believe for a miracle, I will too. But I'm thinking, this feels a little backwards. God, you're the miracle worker. In any case we took this word to heart, and we started believing, really believing. Not just lip service. We did everything we could do to agree with God for a miracle for this little dog. We did physical therapy with him on our own twice a day for weeks. My wife made countless trips over the mountain to the vet for additional treatments. We played the theme song from "ROCKY" when we did his therapy. We were relentless, celebrating every tiny improvement like it was a triumph. Six weeks later Chester made his last visit to the vet, but this time he walked into the office all by himself. The vet and assistants and office workers ran to the lobby and cheered. Turned out he was one of only two dogs with this condition that they had treated over the years who had completely recovered. I guess it was a good thing we didn't know that beforehand. Faith is one thing, but believing is something else entirely. It might be the best, most authentic confession in the entire Bible, when the man caught between the condition of his demon-possessed son and Jesus, the only man who could save him said, "Lord I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief".
If faith is a mustard seed, belief is what turns it into a tree. Believing costs everything because it accomplishes everything. It demands that my ego and intellect and reason go sit in the corner for an indefinite time out. It's not a one time thing or a response reserved for catastrophic circumstances. It's a continuous everyday challenge for you and for me to believe. To believe for a miracle, to believe for healing, to believe for direction, and wisdom and restoration and reconciliation and a myriad of other things that seem impossible because they are. That is until they aren't anymore because I'm believing something different.
So if it's true:
"If only you believe like I believe, baby (like I believe)
We'd get by
If only you believe in miracles (so would i)'"
I guess you and I better decide whether we're going to believe.
Scripture to consider - Mark 11:24: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (NIV)
Reflections
What are you facing right now that requires a change in what you believe about your situation or circumstances?
What have you been believing that has become a road block to the very thing you've been longing for?
How can you make more space to allow yourself to believe differently?
What are some things that you used to believe that you don't anymore?
What are some things that you really need to believe for again or start believing for, for the first time?
What are some practical things that you can do to believe more deeply in yourself, and God and others?
How will you invite God to guide you in this endeavor of Believing?
Quotable Perspectives
“Fear is the glue that keeps you stuck. Faith is the solvent that sets you free.”
― Shannon L. Alder
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.”
― Stuart Chase
“If I’m not willing to accept a God who does the impossible, I’m left with what’s possible. And that takes me no further than myself.”
― Craig D Lounsbrough
“If I were to classify human beings I would classify them into people who believe in magic and people who don't.”
― Sherihan Gamal
“Seeing is not always believing, its the other way around. Believe and you will see.”
― Ammiel Josiah Osia Monterde
A simple prayer for Believing:
Father, in all the desperate places of my heart where I have longed to believe, to believe in you, and to believe in your goodness and to believe in your plans and to believe that you really have all the answers I need, will you blow on the embers of my heart and cause me to burn anew, and believe again with fresh enthusiasm that is not intimidated or distracted by what is or what has been? Thank you for helping me to believe with you for the things that I desperately need and the things you have said you will do. Thank you for helping me to fix my eyes on you and everything that could be.