Mark 9:21-27 “Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 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.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand.” This episode talks about how hard it is to believe in the impossible sometimes and how painful it can be to have hope. It talks about how others can help us. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
I Believe; Help My Unbelief
Mark 9:21-27 “Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 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.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand.”
Today’s verse is part of the same story we had in yesterday’s verse. There was just too much to include it all in that one episode. Yesterday started out with the father explaining what was happening to his son. Today Jesus is asking just how long this has been happening to the boy? We also find out that the spirit has not just cast the boy down onto the ground, but it has often cast him into fire and into water so that he might die. I think everyone listening can sympathize with all this boy has had to go through and how his father is at the point where he would do anything for his son. I can’t imagine watching anyone’s child go through life with this happening the them. It must have been heartbreaking for the father to see this happening and not be able to do anything about it.
The father says, “if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus picks right up on the man’s hesitation and says back to him, “If you are able!- All things can be done for the ones who believes.” I love how the father of the boy doesn’t miss a beat. He immediately cries out, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Imagine the level of faith the father must have had to believe that Jesus could save his son. Also, I love that the man was not too proud to say, I believe, help my unbelief. He wasn’t too proud to acknowledge that there might be some doubt. His son had been sick ever since he was a young boy. When we suffer, or when we see our children suffer for a long time, we start to think we or they always will. It can be easy to have hope at first that something will make them better. We have hope in God, in the doctors, in the medicine. But, what about when that relief doesn’t come? What about when we continue to suffer or see our children suffer year after year with no relief? What do we do then? Where does our hope go?
I can see how the father might have struggled to believe that someone could cure his son. That his son might not have to suffer anymore. It is almost like it was too good to be true and so it makes sense that he may have been a bit hesitant to believe. I think something we don’t talk about enough, is how scary it can be to hope sometimes. How painful it can be to hope. When we don’t talk about it and we don’t acknowledge it we are doing everyone a disservice. I didn’t understand this before. I kept telling my friend she needed to keep hoping for what she wanted. She needed to keep believing that God gave her the desires in her heart and so He was going to fulfill them. What I wasn’t understanding was how much it hurt her to keep hoping and then be let down each time when it didn’t happen. I do believe that God gave us our desires and that He will fulfill them. However, I don’t know this for sure. I am definitely not an expert on God. I don’t know if any of us will ever be. He is so complex and just when you think you have Him all figured out, you realize that you have only scratched the surface.
I can understand how if you keep expecting something to happen and it doesn’t you could get tired of expecting it to happen. I can see how it would be painful to have hope and then feel like you are being let down over and over again. I think this happens more often then we are aware of and I think it is something we should acknowledge and start talking about it more. I think we don’t talk about it because we don’t want people to know that we struggle to have hope or we struggle to believe in the impossible. We live in an age where most people strive to portray the best side of their life. We like to brag about the good things that are going on and gloss over the bad things. We act as though we are fine, even though we are really struggling. We don’t want people to know we are struggling, we don’t want people to know we need help, we feel sad, we feel angry, we know we should be grateful and yet we just don’t feel it. I know people who look like they are having the time of their lives. They are killing it as moms, wives, daughters, they seem like all is going so well. Then when I talk to them they feel like they are failures, they feel depressed, they feel no excitement, or they feel overwhelmed. We need to start being honest. Not with everyone you meet on every street corner, but with someone, with those you love and trust.
We all struggle to believe things will get better sometimes. We all feel overwhelmed with our problems at times. Instead of me telling my friend she needed to keep having hope that her desires would come true I told her that I would have hope for her. Did you know we could do this? Sometimes we get to a point where we can’t hope, or where we can’t pray. Sometimes we are so depressed, or have been sick for so long, we just can’t even pray. When this happens your brothers and sisters in Christ can pray for you. We are a community of believers, we are not alone. If we are struggling, we can ask others to believe for us or to have hope for us. In the Bible a group of friends carried their friend on a mat to see Jesus. Their friend couldn’t walk and they thought if they could see Jesus, He would heal him. However, the house Jesus was in was too crowded so they went up to the roof, made a hole in the roof, and lowered him down right in front of Jesus. Jesus did heal the man and he looked up at his friends and told them that their faith healed him. Don’t get discouraged if your loved ones don’t believe that the will be healed or that their dreams will come true. Faith is a gift and if you have faith that it will happen, that is enough. Keep believing for them, keep praying for them, keeping hoping for them. If you are having trouble hoping for something or having trouble believing things will get better, ask someone to pray for you, to have hope for you. Don’t be afraid to talk about your fears as it is only when you bring them to light that they loose their power over you. Jesus healed this boy after many years of being possessed. Just because you haven’t received your healing yet, doesn’t mean it is not coming. Keep hoping, keep believing or have someone else do it for you.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Lord, help us to have the courage to talk to someone if we are struggling with hope or with believing you will help us. Help us to not be ashamed of these feelings. Help us to know that he feeling of shame does not come from you. You are a loving Father who always forgives when we repent. We love you Lord, so much! It is truly amazing how you work and even though we don’t understand it all the time, we admire it and are in awe of it. We are so grateful for all you do for us. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you on Monday. Have a blessed weekend!