“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mark 6:4-6).

Mark reminds us that Jesus, being fully human and fully God, was raised by two earthly parents similarly to other kids. This is probably why he didn’t get the same reception when he visited his hometown of Nazareth. Maybe the unbelief found there was due to their familiarity with Jesus while he was growing up. However, they didn’t just struggle to believe that Jesus was God; Mark states that they actually took offense at him. There seems to be a connection between the unbelief of the people and Jesus’ ability to perform miracles.

Many Christians struggle with unbelief as well and put God in a box. They believe that miracles happened long ago but don’t occur today. My friend Ann was one of those people. She was a missionary and loved Jesus, but she didn’t believe that the Holy Spirit still miraculously heals today, at least not the way Jesus did.

Interestingly she went on a mission trip to Africa where she met an elderly lady who walked hunched over and had a huge growth on her back. She wasn’t able to straighten her spine. Ann felt compassion for her and asked her if she could pray for her. Ann laid her hands on the woman’s back and prayed, asking God to heal her. Despite Ann’s own unbelief, she felt the bump on the lady’s back shrink, and the spine began to straighten. Amazed, Ann opened her eyes and saw that the lady was fully healed, could stand straight, and walk normally again.  Ann praised God and her faith grew by leaps and bounds.

So, my question is: What are the ways that we put God in a box?  Do we limit our expectations and hopes to what we think is “reasonable” and “manageable”? Do we assume that ‘God doesn’t do that sort of thing anymore’ or that ‘God would never work like that through me?’ Our participation (faith) is important, but not determinative. God can act despite us, but all too often, our unbelief or unwillingness to reach out to the Lord in simple trust keeps us from even asking God to act in the first place.  He obviously can act despite our beliefs, as he did with my friend Ann. However, Scripture seems to point to many instances where the Holy Spirit’s power overflowed in places where the people had great faith in God’s power. 

Do you ever put God in a box?  Do you struggle with unbelief? Ask God to strengthen your faith and see Him for the omnipotent – all-powerful – God that He is.