Living by faith marks a believer’s life. We love Jesus and place our faith in him, though we cannot see Him. But far from “blind” faith, God gave us strong evidence on which to base our beliefs in His inspired Word.
Mark 9:14-29 includes Jesus’ statement, “…all things are possible to him that believes”. In this passage the Lord teaches a strong lesson on the power of faith. It marks the beginning of a series of critical lessons finally the Lord must impart to His chosen disciples.
In this encounter, His focus shifts onto the final leg of His journey to the Cross. Soon He would no longer physically be standing by the disciples. They must learn to draw on his power after He is out of sight.
Jesus has just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration and walked up on a crowd gathered around the disciples. An anguished dad runs to him and cries out for help to deliver his son from lifelong torment by a violent demon. He said, “…if you can do anything…”, though certainly Jesus’ reputation as a miraculous healer had drawn him there in the first place.
Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible...” The dad fell humbly to his knees and cried out in tears, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, told it to leave and never return, and it left the boy immediately.
The disciples had been unable to do it, though they had cast out demons many times before while ministering with Jesus. Afterward, in a private meeting the disciples asked Jesus why they had failed. Jesus reinforced the lesson that faith sees the power already available; and prayer is the road into accessing that power.
Soon Jesus would be physically out of sight, and the disciples would need to exercise their faith in his remaining presence, though even though they couldn’t see him. Prayer would access His power.
And as illustrated by the boy’s desperate dad, God doesn’t require great or perfect faith. Only faith as a “mustard seed” in the all-powerful God expressed by the one calling out to him for help.
“All things are possible to him that believes.” We must believe for things acceptable to Him and according to His will. And the promise is as true for our lives today as it was back then.
---Beverly Nickles
Comments