Mark 9:17-31- Don't Believe? Believe anyway!

At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And 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, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And 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 arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

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 The man was in a terrible state. His son had been possessed by a demon since childhood and this demon has tried to destroy the child ever since by throwing him into the fire or the water.  The man asked Jesus' disciples to cast out the demon. They tried and failed so the man brought him to Jesus who, frankly, seemed to be a bit tired of dealing with the faithlessness of people He encountered. The man, upon hearing Jesus say, "All things are possible to those that believe," wisely replied, "I believe; help my unbelief." Jesus commanded the demon to leave and never return and that is exactly what happened.  The disciples asked Jesus later, 'How come we couldn't do that?" The answer:  prayer and fasting are needed.

I marvel at the wisdom of the desperate man.  When Jesus said, "all things are possible to those who believe," the man acknowledged that he did believe but also struggled with doubt and asked the Lord to help him in his doubt.  Jesus truly was tired of the "faithless generation" He had to put up with but no doubt He was pleased with the answer of this man.

What about me? Do I struggle with faith and doubt? When I do I would be wise to tell the Lord about it! Ever since I have been following Christ, I have seen His Hand in my life and have always been happy to see Him provide for us when we called out in our desperation.  May I always be a man who trusts in Christ and when that faith falters, may I ask for His help to believe. Jesus delivered the man's son; He will deliver me as well. Amen.