“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:24
A desperate father brought his son to Jesus after the disciples couldn’t help. With tears he cried out with the faith he had and asked for more. Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him up.
When Jesus came down from the mountain, He found a great crowd around His disciples, with scribes questioning them. A father explained that he had brought his son, who had a spirit that kept him from speaking and threw him down, and that the disciples could not cast it out. Jesus said, “Bring him unto me.” The father told Him the boy had suffered since childhood and begged, “If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Jesus answered, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Straightway the father cried out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Jesus rebuked the spirit and commanded it to leave. The boy lay as if dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. Later, in a house, the disciples asked why they could not cast it out, and Jesus taught, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: who lifts the boy and helps the father’s faith
The father: who believed and asked for more
The son: afflicted since childhood
The disciples: who could not, and asked why
Where and when
At the foot of the mountain, among a crowd, and later in a quiet house.
Watch for the Savior
Watch how Jesus responds to faith mixed with doubt.
Eight stops from the mountain path to a boy lifted by the hand. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the crowd, the father’s cry, the healing and the quiet house. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Mark 9:15“running to him Meaning: greeted. him”
Mark 9:17“a Meaning: unable to speak. spirit”
Mark 9:18“Meaning: wastes away; grows weak.”
Mark 9:19“how long shall I Meaning: put up with; bear with. you?”
Mark 9:20“the spirit Meaning: tore; threw into convulsions. him”
Mark 9:26“and Meaning: shook him violently.”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
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All nine. The mountain, the argument, the father, the empty hands, the beckoning hand, the tear, the flame, the lift and the prayer. Mark 9:14–29
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Where are you?
Worried for someone, faith and doubt together, a small faith, or lifted up. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
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Try it
Hold on to faith
The father held on to the faith he had. Press and hold, and the story unfolds as you keep believing.
“All things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23
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Their world, their words
A little background on the setting, the father’s words and prayer and fasting helps the story come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Scripture · Mark 9
Just before
Jesus had just been on the mountain with Peter, James and John. He came down and “saw a great multitude about” His other disciples.1
From glory to need.
Scripture · Mark 9
Since childhood
Jesus asked how long the boy had suffered. The father answered, “Of a child.”1
Years of worry.
Church leader · Elder Holland
His words, turned back
Elder Holland noted that the father’s “If thou canst do any thing” came back to him from the Savior as “If thou canst believe.”3
The question was faith.
Church resource · Student manual
Prayer and fasting
“If you have a weakness or sin that you have struggled to overcome, you may need to fast and pray.”2
The same word runs through both sentences: Jesus said “believe,” and the father answered, “I believe.”1
What the text does not say
Jesus doesn’t turn the father away for having doubts, or wait until his faith is perfect. He doesn’t scold His disciples into giving up, either. He helps the father, lifts the boy, and quietly teaches His disciples how to grow.1
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Look to Him
He came down from the mountain to help. He answered a small, honest faith with His hand.
“Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”
“And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.” Mark 9:15
The disciples
They asked
“His disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?” Mark 9:28
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Seek Him today
A question to ask in prayer
Lord, what do I already believe, and how wilt Thou help me believe more? Mark 9:24
Start by naming what you do believe. Then ask honestly for help with the rest.
Try it today
One way to hold on to faith each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven days of holding on. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Lord, I believe.”
Read Mark 9:17–27 slowly. Picture the father on his knees, tears on his face, saying what he believed and what he couldn’t. Then picture Jesus taking his son’s hand. Mark 9:17–27
A verse to hold
Talk about it
Why did the father bring his son to Jesus?
What did Jesus tell the father about believing?
What did the father say back, and why is it such an honest prayer?
What did Jesus teach His disciples afterward?
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For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Apostle
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe” (2013)
Three lessons from this father: lead with your faith, hold the ground you’ve won, and be patient with others’ doubts.3
Lord, I Believe; Help Thou Mine Unbelief, ready to print $3.99
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
Lord, I Believe; Help Thou Mine Unbelief is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for April 5–11, 2027 (Matthew 15–17; Mark 7–9).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in Mark 9:14–29; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
