Mark 9
“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.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:22-23 NKJV
Is there anything that God cannot do? Absolutely not. You should never use the words “if You can” when making a request of God. You should have faith in Him and believe that anything is possible. Remember that God will not fulfill your requests simply because you ask Him for something. The key to having your prayers answered is aligning your heart with what God wants and replacing “if You can” with the phrase “if You will.” As the apostle John explains in 1 John 5:14-15: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NKJV
Faith and doubt often seem to coexist to some degree. In this passage, the father believed that Jesus could heal his son, but he simultaneously had doubts. However, he openly admitted his unbelief and immediately asked Jesus for help. It is important to realize that having doubts is normal and is something that God will help us overcome as long as we are honest with Him and continue our pursuit of growing as a Christian. We should study the words of James 1:6: “But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around.” Today we may have doubts about whether God is really there for us, whether He is a good and loving God, and whether we can trust the words we read in the Bible. Having these kinds of doubts can actually show that we are maturing in our faith and earnestly seeking answers instead of just putting all reason aside to follow Him. So where does our faith come from? Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is “the author and perfecter of faith.” Romans 12:3 says that faith is something that “God has given us.” Faith, therefore, is a gift from God. The Bible also tells us that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). So although faith is a gift, it is something that should be further developed by hearing sermons, praying regularly, and studying scripture. Thankfully, as our faith increases, our doubt will naturally decrease as we gain wisdom and grow to understand God’s promises for our lives.
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:28-29 NKJV
There are some problems that only God can fix, and it is through the power of prayer that they can be accomplished. In this passage, the disciples were trying to cast out this demon, but apparently they did not pray about it beforehand and were, therefore, unsuccessful. How often does this happen in our lives? Is there something in your life that you have been trying to accomplish, and it is not working? Have you asked God for help? If so, trust that He will answer in His timing. If you have not asked for His help – do it today!
Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:33-35 NKJV
The kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom compared to how the world operates. Whoever is the most humble and gives up their own interests in order to serve others with a cheerful heart, will be the greatest in God’s kingdom. Jesus, of course, led by example, in literally giving up His life for us. But we can do this in smaller ways every day. We have countless opportunities to serve others in our home, workplace, church, community, and beyond. The apostle Paul encourages us to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).