POWERFUL PRAYER

And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:22, 23 NKJV)

In our Lord's life there was no separation between the life hidden in God and a ready response to the call of human need. As in Raphael's great picture of the Transfiguration, which combines the scenes of the mountain and the valley on the one canvas, so it is in true life. There will be the mountains to move and the valleys to go through. 

How many there are who seem to be possessed with evil spirits which are wrecking health and peace, and how many make the mistake of this man in bringing their relatives or friends to disciples who as yet have not been baptized and received the power of the Holy Spirit, and have not entered into the secret place of power. Of course it is not possible for someone in that condition to get or give any real help, and the demons laugh at them! We must learn our own inability to deal with the forces of evil that are sweeping through the world.  We are on our own unless we have received power from on high.

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  (Luke 10:17 NKJV)

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather  rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  (Luke 10:20 NKJV)

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  (Acts 1:8 NKJV)

In our text, notice the way in which our Lord casts back the responsibility on the father. He said: "If You can do anything"; but Jesus answered: "the if is not with Me, but with you. It is not a question of my power but of your faith. Can you believe?" Then the father threw back the responsibility on the Master, saying in effect: "I fear that I have not faith enough, but I trust You to create it in me. “Help my unbelief."

You and I often fail in our faith because of ignorance and weaknesses toward sin. There is the mighty ocean of power all around us, but for some reason we cannot tap it. It is like electricity, which refuses to help us unless we have tools precisely adapted to transmit the driving-power. Faith is absolutely necessary for the conveyance of God's power to meet the need and sin and sorrow of the world. But when we find it deficient, when our heart believes not, when we find ourselves face to face with Jericho’s that are closely shut, and with mountains that seem to mock the tiny levers with which we propose to move them, then we must turn to Christ and say: "I trust You for faith, I trust You to keep me trusting: I believe, help You mine unbelief."

PRAYER

We open our nature to let in Your blessed fullness, and if our capacity be small, we pray, O Lord, that it may be enlarged, that we may miss nothing that is possible to man. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

God’s Daily Promise

Promise #14:
I give My Spirit in unlimited measure.

John 3:34 (WEB)
For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God;
for God gives the Spirit without measure.