Please Help My Unbelief

“Yes Lord, I would like to walk on water to reach you, but could you wait for a second while I first put on my life jacket?” That sums up the extent of my faith most of the time. Even when I am convinced that the Lord is asking me to do something, I often have a hard time stepping out in faith. Over the years, I have even become adept at justifying my hesitations to put my trust in God.

“God helps those who help themselves” proclaims the well-worn saying. I have grown up in a culture that too often feeds on the disbelief that lies beneath such expressions. The fact is that God has a weak spot for those who cannot help themselves: the oppressed, the poor, the powerless, the outcasts, the sinners… Those who can help themselves do not need God, or at least they are tempted to think so, even if they claim the opposite. Some days I foolishly think I can rely only on myself if I bring along the proper equipment, my life jackets: my courage, my skills, my intelligence, my knowledge, my determination... Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.