Mark 9:20-24 "And they brought him unto him: and when he
saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and
wallowed foaming. (21) And he asked his father, How long is it ago
since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. (22) And
ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him:
but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
(23) Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are
possible to him that believeth. (24) And straightway the father of
the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine
unbelief."
How many times have we had to identify with this father? "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." We certainly believe in the power and glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We believe His is indeed the Son of God. We believe He left heaven to come to this earth. He walked among a people that was so contradictory to His nature, for He Who had no sin, walked among sinners. But do we understand that same Jesus in all His glory abides with us today and is able to help us in any and all situations? Do we lean upon Him, fully trusting His grace to be sufficient for our every need?
Jesus had just been on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John. He had been transfigured and they had seen His glory. While that was happening above, a man had brought his son to the disciples of Jesus who were waiting the return of Christ. Be assured these same disciples had been given power to heal. Jesus had sent them out and when they came back they had rejoiced that blind eyes had been opened, lame legs had been strengthened, diseases had been healed, and even the dead had been raised. But when this man brought his son to them, they were unable to help him. As a result of their inability, the scribes were questioning them and, no doubt, also questioning the viability of Jesus.
Jesus gave the father one simple instruction: "Bring him to me." My thought for this morning concerns my consistency in taking my situations to Jesus. First, do I insist on trying to fix things on my own? Do I think that if I worry enough or if I try hard enough, I can eventually come up with a solution? And IF, I have taken it to Jesus, how is my heart condition when I pray about it? Am I fully convinced that Jesus will give the solution to the concern that I have? Or, am I simply praying because that is what I feel I am supposed to do?
As you can see, today's text creates more questions than answers for me. All too often, I find myself as that father. I find myself trying this and trying that. I find myself fretting and worrying about a thing. And honestly, it seems that when I do that, God is saying, "Go ahead and worry about it. When you realize your worry is not helping, then bring it to me."
I know the first part of this scene all too well. I know that I cannot do anything without my Lord. I have to admit that I'm still working on the second part. I am reminded of an old hymn this morning. "Are you weary? Are you heavy hearted? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone." Jesus healed this son. Jesus strengthened the father's faith. Afterward, Jesus explained to the disciples that there are some situations in life where fasting and prayer must be joined together. And in the final conclusion, Jesus taught that He is able to help in every situation we encounter. Do I believe?
How many times have we had to identify with this father? "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." We certainly believe in the power and glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We believe His is indeed the Son of God. We believe He left heaven to come to this earth. He walked among a people that was so contradictory to His nature, for He Who had no sin, walked among sinners. But do we understand that same Jesus in all His glory abides with us today and is able to help us in any and all situations? Do we lean upon Him, fully trusting His grace to be sufficient for our every need?
Jesus had just been on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John. He had been transfigured and they had seen His glory. While that was happening above, a man had brought his son to the disciples of Jesus who were waiting the return of Christ. Be assured these same disciples had been given power to heal. Jesus had sent them out and when they came back they had rejoiced that blind eyes had been opened, lame legs had been strengthened, diseases had been healed, and even the dead had been raised. But when this man brought his son to them, they were unable to help him. As a result of their inability, the scribes were questioning them and, no doubt, also questioning the viability of Jesus.
Jesus gave the father one simple instruction: "Bring him to me." My thought for this morning concerns my consistency in taking my situations to Jesus. First, do I insist on trying to fix things on my own? Do I think that if I worry enough or if I try hard enough, I can eventually come up with a solution? And IF, I have taken it to Jesus, how is my heart condition when I pray about it? Am I fully convinced that Jesus will give the solution to the concern that I have? Or, am I simply praying because that is what I feel I am supposed to do?
As you can see, today's text creates more questions than answers for me. All too often, I find myself as that father. I find myself trying this and trying that. I find myself fretting and worrying about a thing. And honestly, it seems that when I do that, God is saying, "Go ahead and worry about it. When you realize your worry is not helping, then bring it to me."
I know the first part of this scene all too well. I know that I cannot do anything without my Lord. I have to admit that I'm still working on the second part. I am reminded of an old hymn this morning. "Are you weary? Are you heavy hearted? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone." Jesus healed this son. Jesus strengthened the father's faith. Afterward, Jesus explained to the disciples that there are some situations in life where fasting and prayer must be joined together. And in the final conclusion, Jesus taught that He is able to help in every situation we encounter. Do I believe?