What will you bring?

Read:  Numbers 30 and Mark 9:14-17 (context is 14-29)

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “Teacher, I brought you my son …”  Mark 9:17 a

 

O:  In order to get the whole context of the verses it is best to read through verse 29.  In this passage in Mark just before this scene of the father and his son Jesus had just come from the Mount of Transfiguration.  It might be what we call today a “mountain top experience”.  So Peter, James and John and Jesus come and meet up with the other disciples and there is a lot of arguing going on.  If you simply read the verses in the plan Jesus asks, “What is all the arguing about?”  And the man replies, “I brought you my son who is possessed by a spirit …” 

 

We could leave off there and conclude with a simple application that we need to bring our problems to Jesus.  That in itself might be a very good application, and for me today is really a good and timely word because there is something I’m struggling with personally that I do need to bring to Him, but my curiosity couldn’t leave the story there so I read on further.

 

The other disciples had tried to drive out the spirit (verse 28), but couldn’t.  They asked Jesus later, “Why?”  Jesus replied to them with a verse that you may be familiar with, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”  I’m not sure what “this kind” refers to.  Is it only this kind of spirit?  Or is Jesus referring to “this kind” being things that are more difficult in general?  Have you personally ever had or dealt with something SO difficult that only prayer and fasting brought you the answer or the healing you were seeking?

 

The other familiar part of this passage is verse 24.  The father said to Jesus, “I believe!  But help me with my unbelief.”  Sometimes what we think we totally believe in, we find we still have a part of us that doesn’t believe.  I have a friend who is trying to make a life-changing decision.  One moment she feels secure in her decision to move forward and at other times she doubts that choice.  She is like this father.  I believe, but help me in my unbelief. 

 

Let’s break it down:

 

I believe – pisteuō - to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in, to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith, to entrust or be intrusted with something

 

1.       Help me – boētheō - to help, succour, bring aid; it is interesting that this word is used twice in this passage, once in verse 22 where the father is talking to Jesus about all this spirit has inflicted on the son and he asks Jesus to please have compassion on them and to please help them and then again here to help his unbelief.  The point is this man needed both physical AND spiritual help.  Help heal my son and help me to believe (again).  I would imagine after years of dealing with this spirit and seeing his son thrown into fire and seeing his son thrown into water and possibly nearly drowning and seeing his son nearly destroyed they had probably lost a lot of their belief – their confidence and hope in ever seeing him healed and made right.  Jesus asked “how long has he been this way?” and the father said, “since he was a child” or “from childhood”.  He probably was not born that way, but at some point in this boy’s childhood a spirit entered him and he would often convulse and foam at the mouth and he experienced a range of things that no parent would ever want to deal with.  This father had lost his “belief”.  Jesus was his last hope, his last option.  The disciples couldn’t help him; the rulers or Pharisees or the “church leaders” couldn’t help him.  Here they stood at the mercy of Jesus.  “Help me please!” the father cried out (verse 24).  This is the word we saw the other day “krazo” meaning to cry or pray for vengeance.  It also means to “vociferate” which means to “shout, complain, or argue loudly or vehemently”.  This was no quiet plea, this was a LOUD desperate cry with literal tears!  HELP ME PLEASE!  Have you ever cried out to Jesus like this?  This is the plea of a desperate parent for their child!  This father didn’t want his own unbelief to hold back the healing of his son.  He was ready to lay it all down and surrender every part of his unbelieving heart to Jesus.  Perhaps this father was ready to stop trying to take care it on his own; to stop seeking people who couldn’t help him and go to the only one who could help him.

 

In my unbelief – apistia - weakness of faith, unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, unbelief.  Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says it is “withholding belief in the divine power” or “little faith”.  I think this father hoped Jesus could heal his son, but doubted whether it was possible.  Perhaps the father knew Jesus could, but doubted He would.  Either way there was a certain lack of faith.  This man had lost hope.  Have you ever dealt with something for so long that you didn’t know if it was even possible anymore to find healing or help?  That is where the enemy wants to keep us – doubting, fearful, with little faith.

 

A:  What is it today you want to bring to Jesus?  This father brought his son.  Do you have a child you need to bring to Jesus for physical or mental or emotional healing?  Do you know of friends or family who are suffering hurt or harm because of either choices they are making, have made or even things out of their own control or past history – things that have been done to them?  Are you making decisions or choices and you just need His peace?  Are you needing healing in your life from illness or addictions and you have dealt with this thing for so long that you have lost hope in ever having a “normal” life?  Whatever it is I implore you to bring it to Jesus.  Cry out desperately to Him for the answer.  If you have lost hope or if your faith is too little then ask Him, plead with Him (loudly even) for Him to cure you of that weakness of faith.

 

Lastly, prayer and fasting may also be something the LORD uses for the situation(s) you are facing.  Some reading this today have never fasted.  Unfortunately in churches today it is not really a thing we talk about, but the Bible has plenty to say on that subject.  There are many different ways to fast and different lengths of time people choose to fast.  If you are not seeing results in your situation maybe it is “the kind” that requires you to fast and pray.  I heard a Bible teacher once talk about fasting and they said that there are three kinds of people, 1) people who would never fast, 2) people who might fast for themselves and their own situations and 3) people who fast for other people and their situations.  We want to be the kind of people that fall into category #3!  People ready to fast and pray for our loved ones and our friends.  If you know of someone today who is having a “this kind” of situation then consider not only praying for them, but dedicating 1, 2, 3 or more days to fasting for them.  Fast all day, fast from one meal, dedicate one day a week to fasting just for them and their situation until you see results.  Another friend of mine who I have known to be an avid faster told me once that she believed fasting “unlocked” things in the heavenlies.  She said she didn’t understand it, but believed it did things we couldn’t possibly understand.  I believe she is correct.  I have seen hearts changed and “things unlocked” when I have fasted.

 

I don’t have all the answers, but if you want to know more about fasting please let me know.

 

P:  Our Father in Heaven,  Thank You that we can bring EVERYTHING to you in prayer!  Father sometimes we deal with things for so long and we lose hope that we will ever find the answer(s) we are seeking.  God, there are people we love that are suffering from hard things, even mental illnesses, that are causing them great pain.  Father I pray that we would be the kind of people that can fast and pray not only for ourselves and the answers we seek, but also for the needs of others.  Lastly, Father, I pray that if there is any doubt in us, any shortage of faith, that You would supply that faith and help us as you helped this father and his son.  Thank you that You are Jehovah Rapha – Our Healer!  It is through Christ we pray, Amen & Amen.