Can He? Will He?

Jesus came to a chaotic scene. A boy was flailing about in the control of an evil spirit. His father was distressed and asking for help. The teachers of the law were arguing about the right response.  The disciples were confused and embarrassed because they could not help. When Jesus approached him, the man said, “If you can do anything, help us.” Jesus challenges the man to a larger faith.  “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:23, NLT)  After a prayer that set the boy free, the crowd dispersed. Jesus and the disciples left the scene and they asked, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” (Mark 9:28, NLT)  Jesus told them that that kind of evil was only defeated by power that came to those who live with a deep intimacy with God.

Every Christian who has ever prayed for something can learn something from this Gospel story.   We must learn to live with real faith. Jesus said, “Anything is possible if a person believes.” There is real confusion about what Jesus meant. Some have bought into a Disney-esque theology captured in the song from Pinocchio; “when you wish upon a star, makes no difference where you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.”  This kind of immature Christianity is built around prayer formulas and religious performance that is supposed to produce the desired ‘results.’  God and His power become tools in our hands to make us healthy and wealthy… and it’s a lie!

Jesus was not telling us that if we can muster up enough belief, if we can pray with enough conviction, we can make anything we want happen!  He was urging us to trust God completely.  We can limit God’s ability to act if we refuse to trust Him.  Like the father in Mark’s story, we may confuse God’s will and God’s ability!  God is able to do anything, for anyone, anywhere, at any time.  The key is knowing what He wills and believing Him to do it.

That’s why Jesus told the disciples their failure was about ‘prayer.’  It was not about how much they prayed, or the words they used. It was about the kind of prayer that brings us near to the heart of God, the prayer that is a way of life.  The big need of a boy possessed by an evil spirit overwhelmed them to the point that their connection with the Spirit was eclipsed.  They were so focused on trying harder, doing something, making it happen – that they actually limited God’s power to act.  I will not condemn them, for I, too, have often become so tangled up with the needs that confront me that I forget it’s not about me, but about Him.

Then, too, there is understanding our relationship with God.  “Our Father” is how Jesus taught us to address God.  He is a good Father, interested in us, loving us, wanting to provide good things. He is no less loving when He says, “No,” than when He says, “Yes,” to our requests.  Will we receive both replies with equal faith?  

Is there some chaos going on in your life?  How big is your God?  Instead of praying so hard for some desired result, start with prayer for connection, for deeper trust.  When a person is drowning, the first thing the rescuer must do is to convince the desperate one to relax and let him help.  God shows up in our desperation and asks us to rest in Him. Will we?  That kind of quiet confidence in His ability allows us to understand His will and to know supernatural provision for our need.

So, we borrow two prayers:  “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:4-5, NIV) and this one, "Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NIV)

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