“14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark 9:14-27).
This father gives us an example of faith and prayer. When Jesus came, he stepped out of the crowd and told the Lord about his son in detail. He told Him how the devil had treated him. He asked Jesus to have compassion on them both. He said, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us!” This father’s life was bound up in his son’s life! He loved his son as he loved himself. And he spoke plainly and honestly. When we pray, we should try to tell the Lord our needs and the burdens our heart. Tell Him what you have done and what you have failed to do. Tell Him what the enemy of your soul has done to destroy you and your children. Tell Him that your children are deceived, spiritually lunatic, ruined by sin (2 Tim. 2:25-26). Tell Him what you tried to do and what failed to save. When you tell the Lord your sad case and your helplessness, then, when He saves you, you will know what He has saved you from, and you will glorify God for His mercy! And be sure to tell Him the truth about yourself! When the Lord told this father, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth,” the father “cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief!” Tell him your confusion. Tell Him about your unbelief. True faith, God-given faith, comes honestly to Christ alone, but never trusts its coming! God-given faith comes for deliverance from evil within and evil without (Rom. 7:24-25; Matt. 6:13). It comes to Christ for salvation from the powerful enemies of our souls against which we have no strength: our sin and the condemnation we deserve from the hand of God’s justice (Ps. 34:17; 50:15; 65:3; 79:9). True faith confesses that I have no obedience to recommend me to God. God-given faith comes empty-handed in all of its need, having exhausted all other hope, looking to Christ alone (John 6:68-69). In so doing, we are not only telling the truth about ourselves, but we are describing the evil from which Christ alone must save us. When the Lord saves us, He will make it known what He saved us from. He will get all of the glory from our own confession of our sin, the deadness of our souls, the deception of the devil and our unbelief. He will show that it is His compassion, His grace and His power alone that saves sinners to the uttermost who come to God by Him (Heb. 7:25)! And we will be eternally thankful and eternally praise Him for it (Rev. 1:5; 5:9)!
This father gives us an example of faith and prayer. When Jesus came, he stepped out of the crowd and told the Lord about his son in detail. He told Him how the devil had treated him. He asked Jesus to have compassion on them both. He said, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us!” This father’s life was bound up in his son’s life! He loved his son as he loved himself. And he spoke plainly and honestly. When we pray, we should try to tell the Lord our needs and the burdens our heart. Tell Him what you have done and what you have failed to do. Tell Him what the enemy of your soul has done to destroy you and your children. Tell Him that your children are deceived, spiritually lunatic, ruined by sin (2 Tim. 2:25-26). Tell Him what you tried to do and what failed to save. When you tell the Lord your sad case and your helplessness, then, when He saves you, you will know what He has saved you from, and you will glorify God for His mercy! And be sure to tell Him the truth about yourself! When the Lord told this father, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth,” the father “cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief!” Tell him your confusion. Tell Him about your unbelief. True faith, God-given faith, comes honestly to Christ alone, but never trusts its coming! God-given faith comes for deliverance from evil within and evil without (Rom. 7:24-25; Matt. 6:13). It comes to Christ for salvation from the powerful enemies of our souls against which we have no strength: our sin and the condemnation we deserve from the hand of God’s justice (Ps. 34:17; 50:15; 65:3; 79:9). True faith confesses that I have no obedience to recommend me to God. God-given faith comes empty-handed in all of its need, having exhausted all other hope, looking to Christ alone (John 6:68-69). In so doing, we are not only telling the truth about ourselves, but we are describing the evil from which Christ alone must save us. When the Lord saves us, He will make it known what He saved us from. He will get all of the glory from our own confession of our sin, the deadness of our souls, the deception of the devil and our unbelief. He will show that it is His compassion, His grace and His power alone that saves sinners to the uttermost who come to God by Him (Heb. 7:25)! And we will be eternally thankful and eternally praise Him for it (Rev. 1:5; 5:9)!
Rick Warta
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