Scripture:Mark 9:14-29
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 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. 18 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.”
19 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.”
20 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.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 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.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
My heart is so moved by this account as I imagine the great compassion of Jesus. This boy and his family are tormented by an evil spirit. This isn’t just a made-up story about a fictional child. The demon was actually throwing the boy into the fire and the water, trying to destroy him. Real injury. Real bondage. Real danger.
Jesus asks, “How long has this been going on?”
Oh, my! How long has this suffering continued?
I can’t read this passage without that question ringing through my spirit. There are things we become enslaved to. Things we learn to live with, because, well, that’s just life. Right? We limp along, making concessions and settling for "less than." But in the presence of the Healer there is hope. Could it really be possible? Could I really be free?
Jesus asks the question. “How long has this been going on?” He knows the answer to the question before He asks. But He asks because it is important that we answer.
How long has it been for you? Since childhood? Since you suffered rejection? Since you were betrayed? It can be sobering to answer this question…sobering to realize we have been crippled for years. We are so good at stuffing things into a box to be dealt with later. Before we know it, a decade has passed. How long has it been going on?
Chances are, whatever your hindrance, it’s not throwing you into a literal fire. But it is trying to destroy you : Bringing strife into relationships, filling your mind with anxious thoughts, causing doubt, creeping in with fear, dragging you down with dread, wielding destruction in your body.
How long? The question is laden with compassion, my friend. How long have you suffered? Jesus wants to heal you. He wants to heal me.
First we must realize that Jesus paid the full price for our freedom. How long have we been enslaved? Too long. We don’t have to live under the power of evil any longer. Regardless of what we might deserve, our merciful Savior has purchased our freedom.
Second, we must believe. We must believe that God will set us free. I want to challenge you now to examine your heart, as I examine mine. What ground have we conceded? What have we accepted as fate? As irreversible? Could it be that we are in unbelief? Lord, help us.
Third, we must pray, and fast. Sometimes we struggle for so long that we give up. It seems our prayers are ineffective. Maybe we even convince ourselves that this is just our thorn in the flesh. In 1 Cor. 12:7, Paul writes that the thorn in his flesh was sent to torment him to keep him from becoming conceited. It wasn’t trying to destroy him, it was just keeping him humble. Believer, if your struggle is trying to bring death and destruction it needs to be dealt with. In prayer. I know sometimes it seems impossible, especially if it’s something we have struggled with all our lives. But don’t give up. Get alone with God in prayer; listen as He asks with compassion, “How long have you suffered with this? All things are possible to those who believe.”
Isn’t it time for freedom?
Pray on!
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 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. 18 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.”
19 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.”
20 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.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 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.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
My heart is so moved by this account as I imagine the great compassion of Jesus. This boy and his family are tormented by an evil spirit. This isn’t just a made-up story about a fictional child. The demon was actually throwing the boy into the fire and the water, trying to destroy him. Real injury. Real bondage. Real danger.
Jesus asks, “How long has this been going on?”
Oh, my! How long has this suffering continued?
I can’t read this passage without that question ringing through my spirit. There are things we become enslaved to. Things we learn to live with, because, well, that’s just life. Right? We limp along, making concessions and settling for "less than." But in the presence of the Healer there is hope. Could it really be possible? Could I really be free?
Jesus asks the question. “How long has this been going on?” He knows the answer to the question before He asks. But He asks because it is important that we answer.
How long has it been for you? Since childhood? Since you suffered rejection? Since you were betrayed? It can be sobering to answer this question…sobering to realize we have been crippled for years. We are so good at stuffing things into a box to be dealt with later. Before we know it, a decade has passed. How long has it been going on?
Chances are, whatever your hindrance, it’s not throwing you into a literal fire. But it is trying to destroy you : Bringing strife into relationships, filling your mind with anxious thoughts, causing doubt, creeping in with fear, dragging you down with dread, wielding destruction in your body.
How long? The question is laden with compassion, my friend. How long have you suffered? Jesus wants to heal you. He wants to heal me.
First we must realize that Jesus paid the full price for our freedom. How long have we been enslaved? Too long. We don’t have to live under the power of evil any longer. Regardless of what we might deserve, our merciful Savior has purchased our freedom.
Second, we must believe. We must believe that God will set us free. I want to challenge you now to examine your heart, as I examine mine. What ground have we conceded? What have we accepted as fate? As irreversible? Could it be that we are in unbelief? Lord, help us.
Third, we must pray, and fast. Sometimes we struggle for so long that we give up. It seems our prayers are ineffective. Maybe we even convince ourselves that this is just our thorn in the flesh. In 1 Cor. 12:7, Paul writes that the thorn in his flesh was sent to torment him to keep him from becoming conceited. It wasn’t trying to destroy him, it was just keeping him humble. Believer, if your struggle is trying to bring death and destruction it needs to be dealt with. In prayer. I know sometimes it seems impossible, especially if it’s something we have struggled with all our lives. But don’t give up. Get alone with God in prayer; listen as He asks with compassion, “How long have you suffered with this? All things are possible to those who believe.”
Isn’t it time for freedom?
Pray on!
1 comment:
I loved that Heather! and to think it's as simple as Psalm 46:10He does all the work, the healing, the comforting, the strengthening! We are to simply trust Him and stop struggling to 'fix' things in our own way in our own strength. Just drop our hands to our sides and LET HIM HAVE HIS WAY with us. Thanks for the post! A real gem to keep with me today...and share with my sister.
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