FRIDAY, MARCH 9
“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!’”
Mark 9:23-24 (ESV)
MY UNANSWERED PRAYERS: WHEN GOD SAYS “BELIEVE”
A little boy approached a rough holy man near the Ganges River. The boy asked, “Will you teach me to pray?” “Are you sure you want to learn?” asked the holy man. “Of course, replied the boy. At that point the holy man grabbed the boy by his neck and held his head underwater. The boy kicked and thrashed. After a little time the man pulled the boy from the water. “What was that?” said the boy. The holy man replied, “That was your first lesson in prayer. When you long for God the way you longed to breath, then you will be able to pray.”
None of us want to be held under water to learn a lesson on prayer or anything else. Yet, the fact remains that it’s often not until we feel like we are drowning that we begin to get serious about praying. In Mark 9, the father of a sick child “cried out” to Jesus, saying “I believe; help my unbelief!” He longed for Jesus to heal his son but he also longed to have greater faith that Jesus could heal his son.
This encounter in Mark 9 teaches us to not be afraid to admit where we’re weak. Sometimes we get the feeling that we need to put on a front of being a strong believer when deep down inside we know that we struggle with trusting God at times. It’s okay to admit that we need help. Jesus doesn’t rebuke the man for this confession, He helps him! If you are feeling like your faith is weak today – you need to ask Jesus for help.
