Charles Spurgeon Commentary Mark 9:24

"Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." — Mark 9:24 (ASV)

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There was faith, even though it was mixed with unbelief. It was a faith that made him pray, as I have already told you, and the Lord Jesus Christ found out where the faith was. He had, as it were, broken the great black lump of dead coal that looked to be nothing but unbelief, and there was the living light of faith burning in the very center of it.

And straightway the father of the child, cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There were within him two men, as it were, a believing man, and an unbelieving man, and the two struggled for mastery; "Lord, I do believe; but there is so much unbelief in me, I pray you to drive it out, that I may believe in you wholly."