From 'Impossible' to 'Possible' with Jesus
“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
(Mark 9: 23, 24)
If life is surrounded by hundreds of impossibilities, what do we do? What is a believer's response to impossibility? Impossibilities affect us so badly, they tend to change things around us towards the worse. We go through phases that challenge our visions, our dreams, our ambitions, our goals and our desires too. And yet, what is the answer? How does a believer of Christ take up impossibilities? The answer is in our identity itself - "believer!"
Jesus our Lord, has a straightforward answer to this question, and the answer is "believe." If we know that the only way to overcome impossibilities in life is through 'possibilities', then the only way to make things possible in life is belief! This made me wonder what really do the popular terms of today's world, "think positive..." and "be positive...", mean to a believer. I was able to realise that when read through the faith lens those slogans translate as, "believe!" Making impossibilities into possibilities is reality only through believing, and that is the only way forward; no other way.
Jesus invites a man to enter into the world of miracles and healing by asking a common question to a crowd - "What are you arguing with them about?" The man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?"From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up (Mark 9:17-27).
Three phrases in the verse we have taken for today's devotion, Mark 9: 23, 24, struck me powerfully. Jesus says "If you can" and then he says "believe." The man replies, "help me overcome."
Put together, if you can... believe... ask God's help to overcome unbelief!
Believing is not easy, especially when you are surrounded by impossibilities. Even in the passage, we read about, we find an impossibility. The man, the father of the boy possessed by an impure spirit, complains about an impossibility. He says, "I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not" (Mark 09:18). And. knowing the levels of belief and unbelief in that environment, Jesus says, "if you can." It was difficult for His own disciples, it was difficult for them to believe even after spending so many days of discipleship, and Jesus understands that. Jesus asks the man to believe if he can! A powerful message for us, isn't it? A spiritual challenge; "believe, if you can!"
Many of us fail by not properly listening to the latter part of this verse. When surrounded by unbelief and doubts, we are invited to ask for help! We are called to totally rely on God's strength and ask His help in overcoming the unbelief that surrounds us. But we, instead, a lot of times, go on pursuing the path of self-reliance, self-appraisal, self-worth, capabilities and resilience in order to overcome impossibilities. But no! A huge "no." We are invited to humble ourselves, fall prostrate in front of the God of possibilities and ask His strength to help us overcome all unbelief. Since the father of the boy who was possessed by the impure spirit was ready to acknowledge that he has difficulties believing, he found God's kindness and healing on that day; his impossibility became a possibility, and his son was saved.
Today there's an invitation for us, and this is the invitation to overcome disbelief and to believe with the never-changing help from the Lord. Let us remember to run to the Lord when unbelief surrounds us and see the many impossibilities in our lives becoming possibilities because we are able to believe with the help of the Lord our God.
May the power and blessing of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us, as we see our impossibilities becoming possibilities through belief.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"Wait On You"
by Elevation Worship & Maverick City
