LEARNING DAILY

Mark 9:23, Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes”.

Let me set the stage for what Jesus said. Jesus and three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, had just come down from where Jesus had met with Elijah and Moses in what is known as the Transfiguration of Jesus. They came upon a situation where those disciples had attempted to cast a vicious and powerful demon; they were unable to do it. When the father saw Jesus, he ran to Him asking Him to do what the disciples had not been able to do.

There is so much to be discussed regarding this situation. Is it okay to focus on the words “if” and “all”?

“If you can believe”. “If” is a very powerful word! It is often placed in sentences about whether God is willing to do something or whether He has the ability to do this or that. No, Jesus asked the man “if he believed” that He had the ability, the power, the compassion, and the willingness to help his son. For this man, and for every Believer, there should be no doubt, no “if” about the power, ability, nor the willingness of Jesus. Jesus places the “if” back on the man, the Believer, “If you can”. Charles Spurgeon writes, “It is if you can believe; for if you can, even as all things are possible to Christ, so shall all things be possible to you. Faith stands in God’s power and in God’s majesty”.

Go back to the account and read what the father said to Jesus. “But if You can do anything….” Jesus has understood the father’s doubt and repeats it back to him in the form of a question. Jesus is saying to him that the question should not be about His ability or power to heal his son; it is about his faith. In other words, for his son to be healed, he must have faith in him alone who can do what seems to be impossible.

The Word of God emphasizes over and over the importance of faith as the means for God to accomplish His divine purpose. How much faith? In Matthew’s account of this healing, Jesus said one who has faith the size of a mustard seed would move mountains. It is not the amount of faith one has but the object of that faith – God!

After Jesus said, “If you can believe”, He said, “All things are possible to him who believes”. This is not a statement saying faith is some magical formula to ask and get whatever fits one’s desires or whims. If you have walked with Jesus for very long, you know that is true. Rather this statement is made to trust in God’s purpose and His power; it is to trust in God’s sovereign will, regardless of the outcome. Spurgeon writes regarding this: “In prayer we are sometimes staggered by reason of the great things we are about to ask; but faith looks at the great promise, the great God, and His great love, and thinks that even a great thing is but a crumb from the master’s table. Then again, we are often driven back by a sense of unworthiness; but faith looks at Christ’s worthiness, and believes His worthiness is quite sufficient to put our unworthiness altogether out of court.”

Mark 9:23 reminds Believers about the importance of faith in God’s power is the key to following Him on the narrow way they are on after Jesus save them. Know that God desires us to come to Him in our weakness and just who we are. In our own strength we are unable to do the works He desires us to do.

Let me add one more thought. The secret to growing our faith lies in the study of the One who gives and grows one’s faith. Faith comes from the love and grace that can only come from the heart of God. He gives freely not so any Believer can be honored or glorified; He gives faith that He might receive all glory and praise by what He does through each Believer!

There is a wealth of encouragement and knowledge in proverbs 16. You should take time to read it!