12/1/25: Doubt ≠ Disqualification

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.’”

— Mark 9:24 (NLT)

Some of us grew up thinking doubt was the scarlet letter of faith.

We learned to hide it. Smooth it out. Pray it away before anyone could see the cracks in our confidence. But there’s a moment in every woman’s faith journey when belief and unbelief collide. You pray with conviction in the morning, but question everything by lunch. You quote scriptures for your friends, but sit in your own car, wondering if God heard you at all. That kind of tension makes you feel like you’re failing at faith, but Mark 9:24 gives us a different picture. A father stands before Jesus, exhausted and afraid. He wants to believe. He tries to believe. He reaches for belief with both hands. Yet he still admits, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

What I love about this man is how honest he is. He ran out of polished prayers. He had no strength left to pretend. His son was suffering, his heart was exhausted, and his faith was stretched thinner than the elastic on an old pair of leggings. He believed God and doubted Him at the same time. And instead of hiding it, he said the quiet part out loud.

That honesty moved Jesus. Not perfect faith. Not impressive faith. Honest faith.

Sometimes we treat doubt like the boogeyman of Christianity. Something we hide under the bed so no one questions our spiritual maturity. But God never asked us to perform strength we don’t have. Scripture is full of people who obeyed while trembling, prayed while confused, and believed while questioning. God didn’t dismiss them. He didn’t shame them. He didn’t take back His promises. He stepped into their trembling and steadied them.

Maybe this week you’re holding something heavy. A diagnosis you didn’t expect. A dream that feels further away each day. A relationship that requires more faith than you feel equipped to give. Tell the truth about it. Not to social media. Not through a pretty filter. Tell the truth to God. He already knows the parts you’re scared to say. He waits for your honesty because that is where He begins to strengthen you.

Doubt is not your disqualification. It is not God’s reason to withhold the miracle. It is the doorway to deeper surrender. When you can say, “Lord, I believe, but I’m struggling to believe at the same time,” God meets you exactly where you are and brings the steadying you cannot give yourself.

Sister, there is no shame in trembling faith. Honest faith invites God into the places you try to hide. And that is where transformation begins.