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Tuesday, April 4, 2023
One of the greatest prayers in the New Testament was actually a cry for help to Jesus. An honest,
vulnerable plea from a dad about his son’s hopeless dilemma. Listen to the
story in Mark 9…
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him.
He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this
spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the
mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast
out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You
faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?
Bring the boy to me.” So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw
Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground,
writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus
asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit
often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on
us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked.
“Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I
do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief! (NLT)
Of course, Jesus healed the boy and he was fully restored in front of the crowd.
But think about this dad’s prayer. How many times have we all known that we believe God for
something yet we also know we have doubts and struggles too? So our belief is
in the same heart with our unbelief, somehow all mixed together.
What if the very reason this story and this father’s plea was included in the Bible is to show
us that God knows we battle faith and doubt so we should just be honest about
our sense of what we lack.
Listen again to the interaction between the dad and Jesus…
Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is
possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe,
but help me overcome my unbelief!
Today, let’s go ahead and join this dad in our confession. Let’s get real about our belief and
our unbelief. Be honest with God and ask for His help where we are struggling
to believe Him. Because Jesus did heal the boy after the man’s full confession.
And what do you think that did to the dad’s faith?
Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I believe You in so many ways, but then, being honest, there
are so many places where I struggle. Help me overcome my unbelief today. As
above, so below.”
View all episodes
By Kindred Resources / SPS
5
1313 ratings
One of the greatest prayers in the New Testament was actually a cry for help to Jesus. An honest,
vulnerable plea from a dad about his son’s hopeless dilemma. Listen to the
story in Mark 9…
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him.
He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this
spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the
mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast
out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You
faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?
Bring the boy to me.” So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw
Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground,
writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus
asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit
often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on
us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked.
“Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I
do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief! (NLT)
Of course, Jesus healed the boy and he was fully restored in front of the crowd.
But think about this dad’s prayer. How many times have we all known that we believe God for
something yet we also know we have doubts and struggles too? So our belief is
in the same heart with our unbelief, somehow all mixed together.
What if the very reason this story and this father’s plea was included in the Bible is to show
us that God knows we battle faith and doubt so we should just be honest about
our sense of what we lack.
Listen again to the interaction between the dad and Jesus…
Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is
possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe,
but help me overcome my unbelief!
Today, let’s go ahead and join this dad in our confession. Let’s get real about our belief and
our unbelief. Be honest with God and ask for His help where we are struggling
to believe Him. Because Jesus did heal the boy after the man’s full confession.
And what do you think that did to the dad’s faith?
Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I believe You in so many ways, but then, being honest, there
are so many places where I struggle. Help me overcome my unbelief today. As
above, so below.”