ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
Mark 9:20-24 NKJV
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"
And he said, "From childhood. 22 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."
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
Jesus was having an interaction with a distraught father. The father had a son who was plagued by demonic forces ever since he was a child. As a parent, there are very few things that can get atyour heart more than when your children are hurting. And not only was this father's son hurting, but the father was also unable to find any kind of resolve. The father brought his son to the disciples, and they could not help. This is a desperate man.
When Jesus came upon the situation, no one was happy. The boy was still under demonic oppression. The father was frustrated, and the disciples had no answer. So it's easy to see why the father would say to Jesus, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." I do not think Jesus was offended by the man's unbelief. I believe it was very hard to offend Jesus. But Jesus wanted to help the father and son. So His answer was neither a rebuke nor unkind. Jesus shared with this father that he had some responsibility, also he needed to believe.
"If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." That is a dramatically profound statement. The possibilities are unlimited to the one who believes. Jesus was letting this father know that he needed to give Jesus something to work with. The father put the whole thing on Jesus, and Jesus simply let this father know what his part was. The father responded with an honest, heartfelt answer. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." That was all Jesus needed and He cast the demonic spirit out of the boy and restored him to his father.
When I was in Bible school, an older, wiser instructor told us that in a miracle, most of the time God has a part, and we have a part. That always helped me, knowing I had a part in what God was doing in my life. My part is to believe and obey. God's part is to provide the miracle-working power. Think about salvation. We didn't look at the Lord when we were unsaved and say, "If You can do anything, help us.” But we did have to believe with our heart and confess with our mouth. We acted on God's Word; that was our part. The power of the Holy Spirit to cause us to become new creations was God's part. We had to believe, and when we did, the possibility of the new birth became a reality in our life.
When it comes to receiving the Holy Spirit, things work the same. When it comes to living free from addictions or sins that are constantly tripping us up, it is still up to us to believe. Our believing God's Word opens the possibilities in our lives. And without going into too much detail, we must understand that all things are possible to the one who believes in line with God's Word. Both Hiswritten word and the word He whispers to our heart.
After failing to successfully launch my first try at a church, I got to the place where I was like the father in our chapter today. Lord, if you can do anything, have compassion and do it. So I waited quite a while for God to do it. Finally, when I obeyed His impression on my heart to start The Ark, we did see God's hand move and possibilities opened. I believe what Jesus said, "All things are possible to him who believes!"
PRAYER
Lord, I do believe You and Your word. I can believe, so all things are possible for me as I live in obedience to You.