Dear Friends,
One morning I was waiting for the bus when a young man standing near me suddenly started convulsing violently. He fell to the ground and started foaming at the mouth. I knelt beside him and tried to hold him steady.
A young woman dressed in a white uniform approached, so remembering something I had been taught in a first-aid class, I shouted, “He’s having a seizure. You can use my comb to keep him from swallowing his tongue.”
(This was in the 1960’s; this procedure is no longer recommended.)
She had a horrified look on her face as she wrapped the comb in a handkerchief, placed it in the victim’s mouth and held it there until he calmed. Fortunately, we were close to a hospital and an emergency unit soon appeared.
After the ambulance left, I went over to thank the nurse for her help. “I can’t tell you how thankful I was to see your nurse’s uniform,” I said.
Still visibly shaken the young lady replied, “Nurse? Nurse? I’m a waitress!”
I wonder if Jesus’ disciples felt somewhat like my waitress when they encountered a boy who suffered from convulsions. The story is found in the ninth chapter of Mark.
Jesus came upon a crowd where some of his disciples were arguing with teachers of the law.
“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer. Mark 9:14-29 (NIV)
In this instance, Jesus’ disciples realized their powerlessness. They had fallen into the all too human trap of believing “they” had the power. They failed because they forgot all power comes from God. None of them, it seems, had asked the question, “Should we pray about this?”
Now, let’s turn our attention from the disciples to the father in the story. It is likely he had heard of the miracles Jesus had been performing. He wanted to believe but wasn’t sure that Jesus would be any more capable to cure his sons than the disciples who had already failed. His response to Jesus, “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.” is one of the most honest expressions of faith in the Bible.
The Greek word that is translated in this Scripture as “unbelief” is apistia, which can also be translated, “want of trust and confidence.” We have been taught “With God all things are possible,” but like the father in the story we may not have rock-solid confidence that a specific prayer will be answered. The reality is that God may say, “Yes.” He may say, “No,” or He might say, “Wait.”
Doubt is not a sin, but it can be a barrier to the fulfillment of our potential in Christ. Even Jesus disciples had doubts; some of which were not resolved until after Jesus’ resurrection. It’s how we respond to our doubts that matters.
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12 (NIV)
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)
The story about the boy possessed by demons is also found in the book of Matthew. I like the way the Jesus words are presented in the International Children’s Bible.
Jesus answered, “You were not able to drive out the demon because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And the mountain will move. All things will be possible for you. Matthew 17:20 (ICB)
I don’t believe that Jesus used the example of the mustard seed to say that a small amount of faith is all that is needed. Rather, his message may be that faith must be a living, growing thing. Seeds must be planted, watered, and nourished — so must faith.
You pray and God says, “Yes.” Your faith grows.
You pray and God says, “No.” Seek to understand God’s will for your life.
You pray and God says, “Wait.” Remember, only he knows the future.
Mountains aren’t moved in a moment. As our faith grows, our personal “mountains” seem smaller and more conquerable. Our dream is to reach the level of faith where we, like the apostle Paul can say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV)
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 