Faith and Prayer:
A reflection on our recent Middle East trip
Pastor Joe Fuiten, November
2, 2003
Scripture Reading
17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 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." 19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 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. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "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." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." (NIV)
In this passage Jesus delivers a boy possessed by a demon that was rendering him unable to speak or hear. Jesus dealt with the issue of deafness and inability to speak on other occasions when the problem was not one of demon possession. In those cases it was just a matter of physical healing.[1][1] It is important to point that out because there is often confusion in some people’s mind that all sickness is demonic in origin, which it is not. On the other hand, some physical issues are not actual sicknesses at all but are demonic manifestations, as in this case. In that world where people regularly worshipped demons in their religion, possession was very frequent.
The disciples had been asked by the father to help the boy but they were unable to do so. Later, they asked Jesus why and he told them.
The exchange between the father and Jesus expresses the human problem. The father said, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Who hasn’t been there? We believe, yet we do not believe. This is important because faith touches a lot more areas than most people suppose, as Hebrews 11 suggests:
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time
to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets who through
faith conquered kingdoms,
administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of
lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword;
whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and
routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.
Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a
better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were
chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they
were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated--38 the world was not worthy of them. They
wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had
been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together
with us would they be made perfect.[2][2] (NIV)
I find these trips that I take to be very helpful in assessing my own life. There is nothing quite like walking amidst the ruins of history to keep you focused on what is really important. Everything in this world passes away. Only what is done for Christ will last forever.
At
The
pyramids and sphinx of
The
incredible temples and graves of
God himself
entered that battle and accepted competition with the gods of
In
Many parts of
They wrote
their people’s testimony over the front door of the church. The tremendous things that happened in that
land over the centuries are quite astounding.
Their degree of success can hardly be disputed. Our joy is tempered by the realization that
they are mostly gone now, taken over by Moslems, and all that remains are
ruins. There were rays of hope. You gave a container of food for
Returning to our original text, we have to address the question as to why the disciples were not able to deal with the demon-possessed boy. When they asked him privately later, Jesus told them that their failure in that case was in the area of prayer. Because they had failed to pray, they did not have the faith necessary to do the job.
Do you pray? Do you take time every day to be with the Lord? I know that many of you are using our devotional book. That helps. I hope you will also take time to pray. It is far less important what you pray about, or how you pray, than just the act of praying. The disciples could not know to pray about a demon-possessed boy they had not yet met. It was not a matter of praying about deliverance, it was about the spiritual strength that comes to those who pray. You never know what a day will bring forth. But every day that begins with pray is a day for which you are prepared.
Our ability to believe God is based on our ability to pray. When you pray, faith comes to you and resides within you like a reserve in the bank waiting to be spent.
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