Mark 9:1-32
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
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 9:23-24
The account of the healing of a demon-possessed boy is the focus of our meditation today. Probably having heard of the miracles that Jesus did, a father brought his son who was possessed by a deaf and mute spirit, to be healed. Verses 20-22 describe how the boy had suffered from childhood. A father in anguish all these years having to witness his son’s suffering—a desperate situation that needed Jesus’ intervention! Sometimes the anguish, the struggles in our lives are kind of similar— difficult to bear. But even when we cannot express our pain, God knows what we go through and He has compassion on us.
Jesus’ disciples had made an attempt to help the child receive healing- but had failed. The disciples were followers of Jesus, who had been with their Master listening to His teachings, watching Him heal the sick and cast out demons and even experienced the power of God manifested through them (Mark 6:13). How then is it possible that they could not heal this little boy? Was it the lack of faith of the crowd – Jesus calls them “faithless generation” (V19)? Or the probable dependency of the disciples on their own ability? Anyway the boy’s father in humility submitted to Jesus and cried out: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (V.24 NLT).
When the disciples raised a query with Jesus about their failure to drive out the spirit from the boy, Jesus emphasized the need for prayer - a constant communion with our Heavenly Father. Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, we see that Jesus withdrew from the crowd that followed Him to spend time in solitude with His Father. Jesus’ work on earth was done through His deep faith and prayerful spiritual connection with the Heavenly Father. As in all other aspects, Jesus set a pattern for us through His prayer life. As we persist in prayer, we will experience a deepening faith and complete reliance on God. Jesus said certain situations or illness can be healed only through prayer (V. 29). The kind of prayer is one that takes us to a level of complete dependence on God’s strength and an awareness of our inability to do anything ourselves. It’s a knowing that when all human strength fails, God’s limitless power works in our situation to deliver. When we pray with humility, we will see the power of God working through us to change the most impossible of situations. If we would earnestly ask Him, our Heavenly Father will give us the Holy Spirit to strengthen and to guide us in power (Luke 11:13).
Are you facing a stagnant or difficult situation in life where no matter what you do, things just don’t seem to change? Jesus encourages us today to be no longer discouraged and burdened by the struggles, but humble ourselves before the LORD in true faith and prayer, earnestly seeking Him to change our situations. Nothing is impossible with Him! May He increase our faith as we depend on Him wholly to demonstrate His power in the situation for a deliverance that will bring glory to Him and gratitude from us!
To Act on: “But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind.” James 1:6 [NCV]
Listen: 'I walk by Faith'