FAITH

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21 (HCSB)

It was one of those moments!

Having heard about the man called Jesus, he thought it might be worth a try to see if He just might be able to do something about the desperate problem he had been having with his son.

It is likely that he had to do some research to find where Jesus would be that day, but after checking around, he was soon on his way. He was tired of dealing with the boy’s problem.

What he may not have known, however, was that Jesus, Himself, had slipped away for a while. He had gone up a high mountain along with his closest confidants in the group of disciples, leaving the others behind. It was a special moment for the foursome as God showed them His heart!

As for the rest of them, an old king reflects, “Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 6:9)

“What made them so special to go with him up the high mountain?”

When God looks for faith, presumption and unrealistic expectations quickly surface. I remember what happened while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments. It wasn’t a pretty picture!

The other disciples had been with Jesus. They had seen Jesus do it many times. Why not show who they really were? As luck would have it, the problem might disappear as well! However, the man, himself, may have been wondering why they were attempting what Jesus, himself had been doing. Needless to say, neither the group, nor the man, were satisfied with the outcome.

As the foursome came down from the high mountain, they approached the comrades that they had left behind, and saw a crowd gathered. The religious people were involved in a dispute.

Suddenly, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. Then Jesus wanted to know what they were arguing about.

A man out of the crowd answered Jesus, saying, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

Jesus gives a stinging rebuke to the entire age group! I even bite my own upper lip as I remember similar rebukes in my own walk with the Lord! “Better an open reprimand than concealed love.” (Proverbs 27:5)

“You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus looks the father in the eye, and asks for some history about the problem. “How long has this been happening to him?”

“From childhood,” he said. “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus then addresses the issue of faith, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

The father of the boy immediately cries out in recognition of what Jesus is saying, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

The scripture record continues with the story. When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming 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!”

Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

Jesus explained that faith prays, and faith also sees God’s heart for the need.

The disciples that had been left behind that day did not realize that the man really did not trust them. They needed to pray before undertaking such an exercise, and they needed to understand God’s heart and the heart of the boy.

And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting]a.”

An authentic faith matched with a verified authentication of the action of a supernatural God, is what brings Him into action!

An old song comes to mind, “Do you know my Jesus? Do you know my Friend? Have you heard He loves you, and that He will abide till the end?”

a From Mark 9:14-29 [Other mss omit bracketed text] (Italicized remarks are quotes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)