Help My Unbelief

Pastor’s Bookshelf - Welcome to my bookshelf! Each month I will discuss a recent book that I’ve finished. *disclaimer; I don’t always have time to sit and read physical books, but I do quite a bit of my reading through audiobooks these days.*

This month I’d like to talk about Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not The Enemy of Faith. By Barnabas Piper. You might Recognize Barnabas’ name – he is famously the son of the renowned pastor/author/theologian John Piper. Through his own ministry, Barnabas Piper has made a name for himself. Back in 2014 he wrote “The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith And Identity” – which I am looking forward to picking up and reading next chance I get. Help My Unbelief was a quick read, but it poked at soft spots in my faith journey that I have not explored fully. It centers around a story from Mark 9 where a man asks Jesus to heal his child. He says, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” Simultaneously expressing that we DO believe, and yet we need help in order to believe. The description on Amazon says, “All of us have questions about faith, but we often feel awkward or uncomfortable asking them. We assume doubt is always a bad thing. God is infinite, beyond our understanding—yet He chooses to reveal Himself in ways that spark our questions rather than settling them all. Instead of making Himself smaller and easily understood, God invites us into a larger faith—one that has room for questions, victories, failures, and mystery.”

I’m uncertain if I am drawn to Barnabas’ writing style because I find him incredibly relatable to me personally, or if he is relatable for many people – even those who are NOT Pastor’s kids. I appreciated the way he was not afraid to ask questions that plague all of us who grow up in the church. One of the key insights for me was the idea that asking God for help with our belief IS a sign that we believe in God. Just as asking a doctor for help is a sign that we believe the doctor can help us.It is well worth your time.