Verse of the Day 2/4

Through the Bible - Isaiah 34-36, Mark 9:1-29   

 

Good morning,

A small group that I'm in has been spending some time recently considering the importance and practice of prayer in our lives.  This past week we talked about and were challenged to develop and put into practice the use of a personal "breath prayer".  These prayers are developed from tradition, scripture or perhaps a favorite hymn.  We repeat these prayers with our lips, perhaps in a whisper,  and in our hearts and minds as we go through the day, especially when we need the peace, love or guidance of God.

 

For today's verse we'll go to Mark chapter 9 where a man brings his demon possessed son to the Lord for deliverance.  He comes to Jesus asking "if he can do anything"?  The dialog continues in these verses.

 

Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him,  "If you can!  All things are possible for one who believes."  24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe;  help my unbelief!"  ESV

What power packed verses that speak to the condition of our hearts and Christ's.  Do you admit at times to come to Jesus in the same way, with "if you can"?  Jesus told the father here and us today that "all things are possible for one who believes".  The response of the father could easily be his "breath prayer", could it be yours?  "Jesus, I believe; help my unbelief."

 

In sports, teams often build themselves up in preparation for "the big game".  How many times have you seen the "letdown" where they win the big game and then go out the next game and lose to a team that they should easily have beaten.  People in the Bible and today face the same thing spiritually.  Elijah faced the prophets of Baal and had a great victory through God's power mightily displayed.  Shortly after he was running for his life from Jezebel. 

 

The father in this story may have had fears of this.  Doubts would creep in, would his son's restoration last, would the demon come back?  Perhaps it would become his "breath prayer" to be repeated in times of doubt.

 

The song from the Gaither Vocal Band, "I Believe, Help Thou My Unbelief" came to mind.  I'll share a few of the lines.

I believe, help thou my unbelief I take the finite risk of trusting as a child

I believe, help thou my unbelief I walk into the unknown trusting all the while

I long so much to feel the warmth that others seem to know But should I never feel the things I claim Him even so.

I believe, help thou my unbelief I walk into the unknown trusting all the while.

When doubts  and fears creep into our heart and mind, remember this prayer - Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV
Mark 9:14-30

 

Healing of a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

 

14  And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him,  were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"  17 And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has  a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and  they were not able." 19 And he answered them, "O  faithless generation,  how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."  20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it  convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But  if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23 And Jesus said to him,  "If you can!  All things are possible for one who believes."  24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe;  help my unbelief!" 25 And when Jesus saw that  a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,  "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."  26 And after crying out and  convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus  took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had  entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29 And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

ESV