Pray

Mark 9:14-29

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.

And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So 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 theground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” 

And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one 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 mute 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 enentered 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.”

This is a pretty serious story isn't it? Kinda scary really. The father of the boys says the boy cannot speak, and has seizures. The seizures have even thrown him into a fire. Now we would call it a seizure disorder, in this day, they credit it to a spirit, like a spirit from Satan. 

So the father brings the boy to Jesus and asks for compassion. Jesus gets onto the people a bit because he doesn't think they fully understand how great his power is. 

Jesus heals this boy. This spirit is gone, his seizures stop. The disciples ask as how he did that. Prayer. Prayer is Jesus's answer. Most translations say prayer and fasting. Prayer is our link to God through Jesus. God loves us and wants us to come to him. We just looked at the Lord's Prayer- how Jesus taught us to pray. The same Jesus who healed this boy. Jesus credits prayer with the power to change. Jesus taught us to pray, therefore, Jesus wants us to be  apart of these changes. 

We are committing these few weeks to prayer and fasting. Let's not forget to pray as we fast. Let ask big and believe big. This boy had been this way a long time. Just because things have been a certain way for a long time doesn't mean that Jesus cannot change then through prayer. Make today a day of prayer.