But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, “If you can! 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 9:22-24
Let’s take a closer look at what is happening in this passage of Scripture. A man brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, hoping for healing. Why not take him straight to Jesus, you ask? Because Jesus – along with three of His disciples, James, Peter, and John – were up on a mountain with Elijah and Moses (see Mark 9:2-13).
When Jesus arrived on the scene, He saw a great crowd and scribes arguing with the other nine disciples. The problem? The disciples had hit a brick wall: they couldn’t heal the man’s son. Later, the disciples would ask Jesus why they failed to heal the boy. His reply: “This kind requires prayer.”
I could preach an entire sermon on that phrase alone, but let’s move on. “Then they brought him (the boy) to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, “If you can! 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!” When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose” (Mark 9: 20-27).
What struck me most today is how patient Jesus was with the boy’s father. He didn’t send him away with a “Sorry. Wrong Answer,” or Come back when your faith is stronger.” To the man’s “If you can,” Jesus replied, “All things are possible for those who believe.” Jesus addressed the father’s doubt first, focusing on the man’s anemic faith. Then He healed the boy.
The wonderful thing about God’s love and grace is that it meets us even in our lack, our weakness, our doubts. The boy’s father went to the right source (Jesus) but he wasn’t entirely convinced Jesus could fix his particular problem. How typical of our humanness – if you can. That element of doubt trips us up time and again – If you can. Even though we know in our minds that He can, that He is more powerful than any problem we face, that little nagging voice continues to whisper in our ear, “Ah, but will He?”
When we doubt, we are essentially saying, “God, I’m not sure you can get this one right.” Rubbish! This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Of course God can! He is bigger, stronger, mightier than anything we might face. So silence the voice of doubt and cry out, “Lord, help my unbelief!” He will meet us even in our weakness. Because that’s the kind of God we serve.
Prayer: O Lord, shore up my faith. Remind me who you are and that you are greater and strong than anything or anyone. Cast far from me those voices that suggest otherwise. Help me to step forward in your victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.