And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-24)
The 6th Century Syrian monk now referred to as Pseudo-Macarius comments on belief and doubt:
There are some who, even though they have begun to develop a taste for divine things, nevertheless are disturbed and hassled by the adversary, so that they are surprised (still lacking experience) that after the divine visitation, they should still harbor doubts about the mysteries of the Christian religion. Those who have grown old in them are not surprised at all. As skilled farmers from long experience, if they have had a year of bountiful harvest, they do not live without some planning, but they foresee the time of dearth and tight times.
On the contrary, if famine and penury hit them, they do not become despondent, as they think positively about the future. It is the same way with things in the spiritual world. When the soul falls into various temptations (Jb 1:1), it is not surprised nor does it lose all hope, because it knows that by God’s permission it is being exposed to trials and is being disciplined by evil. Nor does it forget other circumstances when things go well and there is consolation, but it expects the time of trial.
The sun, being a material, created thing, shines down also upon swampy places full of mud and slime and yet is not affected or defiled. How much more the pure and Holy Spirit that is joined to the soul which still is afflicted by evil, without himself being tainted by the evil. For: ‘The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not’ (Jn 1:5).” (The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and the Great Letter, pg.130)
We are called to faithfulness to God in a world which sometimes takes away hope. So, occasionally we are left with wishful thinking rather than faith. The tribulations of life mean our faith is put on trial. In the biblical story of Job, we see one faithful man who is being tested and tempted by Satan. Job does not fail the test. In the narrative it is we the readers who are told Satan is testing Job, Job is not aware of this and responds as a man of faith.
This is why we pray in the Lord’s prayer that God lead us not into the testing but rather that God deliver us from the Evil One, Satan. Satan’s task in the Old Testament is to test our faith and to try to prove to God that humans are no damn good. Holding on to faith when things are going badly is difficult as the dad in the Gospel lesson quoted above demonstrates. Like that father, we sometimes have to change our thinking (repent!) about what God is doing or can do. Even in Christ’s presence we might find it difficult to believe, but then we should pray that God bolster our sagging faith in Him.
Fraternized 