Sermon on Mark 9:14-29, for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost 2021 (B), "From Faltering to Faith"

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Last week in Psalm 28 we prayed with King David and felt the emotional tug of war waiting for God’s answer to prayers. Today Mark 9 is a lesson on mature discipleship, faith and prayer. A nameless father has a boy who is suffering terribly with epileptic seizures caused by a demon. The father’s faith is faltering; this has happened since childhood. The disciples’ faith appears absent, as Jesus rebukes them and the rest as a “faithless generation,” when they fail to heal him by failing to pray. Jesus seems harsh, as in several places in Mark. But the nameless father persists and his prayer is answered! Jesus lifts the nameless father and us, from faltering to faith.

How do we get from faltering to faith? God will always strengthen faith when we ask for it. When it came to the power of prayer, Jesus shows the disciples failed to even use it! Before the disciples had success in casting out demons and even healing the sick! But here they fail. The crowd and disciples don’t get it. Jesus tells them this kind only comes out by prayer. Had they become overconfident? Or were they too doubtful? Either way they didn’t use one of their most powerful spiritual weapons—prayer. Later in Mark, Jesus says this about prayer and faith: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).

Don’t go unarmed! You need faith and prayer for daily life. Prayer is one of our most overlooked and underused weapons. We can go out with all confidence and energy but fail when we don’t pray. In obstacles big and small, with illness or spiritual battle, life struggles or personal sins, we often try to tackle it on our own. And don’t get me wrong, we need to move and act and do our things, but prayer is essential. Prayer acknowledges that whatever the obstacle, God moves, resolves, and gives power to the situation. Not us. Not our meager and often confused efforts. God is all knowing. We aren’t. Prayer knows the real work is in God’s hands, and in God’s power. With these weapons of faith and prayer, we’re well armed for battle.

My sister shared a great insight on prayer and faith. She reminded me how Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. Trust every day that God will provide. But in our worrying minds, we demand to have God’s 30-day lunch menu, so we know how far in advance God will provide for us! But Jesus urges us to pray for our daily bread. Have faith God will provide for today. We all get caught up in the future, which is beyond our control. Prayer also commits the outcome to God, not imagining we’re in control.

This father and son in our Gospel carried a heavy burden. Can you imagine the exhausting concern and fear of this family, constantly rescuing their son from fire and water, year after year? How malicious is the evil work of the devil, harming this child? The devil is always bent on destruction, harm, death, and fear. You can hear the weight of years of torment and a feeling of futility in the father’s words. Nothing was working, and yet they loved their child as anyone with half a heart would. Almost drained of any hope he pleads: “If you can do anything, have compassion and help us!” The end of his rope, the end of his hope. Choked with desperation and grief. Jesus’ disciples had tried but had been no help. He pleads with Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us!” Perhaps it’s our own emotional place where faith is a smoldering wick, a barely glowing ember shot out from the fire that is getting colder and darker away from the warmth and life of the fire. What burdens and fears weigh down our faith? Drained of hope, do we ever utter such words to God, “If you can?”

Weak and small words, they’re still a prayer, and God does not despise the dimly burning wick or crush the bruised reed. With all His mercy and compassion, Jesus will not leave us stuck feeling weak and small, or like the cold dying ember, or the wick burning out. Jesus wants to fan our faith into flame! He wants to lift our prayer from faltering to faith! Give us boldness to ask confidently! Skip the “if you can!” and get right to the “have compassion and help us!”

If our prayers are still coming from that weak place, if our faith is faltering, that’s right up Jesus’ alley! The very heart of what He wants us to ask and to learn! Pray to Him, however weak and small, and He’ll give you faith! Just listen to His answer: “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes!” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” See how fast his prayer improved! Jesus urges him to reach higher and more confidently than a weak “If you can”, and he does! He believes Jesus can help, or he wouldn’t be asking. But Jesus, can you give me more faith?! Yes! Absolutely, unconditionally yes! Right up Jesus’ alley, the very thing He wants to do is give you more faith. A prayer aimed right at the heart of Jesus. Ask and you shall receive faith.

Many Christians find themselves in this navel-gazing place, where we examine our emotions and feelings. We feel troubled. We feel doubtful. We feel unsure of whether our faith can handle. We measure our faith and it’s small. So, our grip on God seems to weaken and slip. We think, “If I can’t hang on tight, I’ll fall!!” When all along God holds us safely in His hands. Instead of focusing on our emotions, our doubt or strength of faith, Jesus turns our attention to Him. Faith is never strengthened by navel-gazing and demanding of ourselves more confidence, more assurance, more strength. Faith is strengthened by looking to Jesus. It’s strengthened by the prayer: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” In other words, “Jesus, I’m counting on you, to banish all my unbelief! To drive out my doubt, and to trust unfailing in you!” Stop trying to take your own “faith temperature” and just look at Jesus, for Jesus’ sake!

Faith stands on the object of its trust. Faith doesn’t stand upon itself. It needs the object or person to trust in. God. Jesus. That’s why faith and prayer are hand in hand. Prayer admits God is in control, and leaves outcomes to God; so also faith is founded and grounded on Jesus. So, to rise from faltering to faith, is all God’s work! Ask and receive!

Now the matter of healing comes. Jesus heals the boy, with full authority over the evil spirits. He’s restored in physical and spiritual health to his grateful father, and no doubt an exciting new journey of discipleship began for that family, knowing the works of God in their lives. Whenever I preach on a healing such as this, I remember the obvious fact that many people go through their whole lives without such dramatic and immediate miracles. Even in Bible times, the peoples’ surprise betrays the fact that such miracles were uncommon. So, what of those who have a child who suffers from a chronic affliction, or what of your own chronic illnesses, struggles, or spiritual battles. What if they aren’t healed in this life?

One book I read this year talked about second-guessing God. Sad that we would ever second guess God, but from our weakness, we do. The author suggests the word “perseverance miracles” to describe God at work even in situations that seem unchanged. But from the long view, we can indeed recognize God at work in those situations as well. In a “perseverance miracle”, believers take up their cross and follow Jesus, and through their compassion, patience, duty, loyalty, care, trust, joy, and other fruits of the Spirit, other people are touched and see God’s love at work. It’s far more likely that God is at work in a “perseverance miracle” in your life, than by a sudden, immediate miracle. That’s not to discount the possibility of healings, but to say that they can come in more ways than one. One thing is clear, that God is not against using hardships, crosses, and afflictions for good in our lives. He has promised He will! And so do not despair or lose hope if your prayers are not answered by the dramatic. In prayer and faith, accept that God can still work and does still work under the cross of hardship.

Prayer puts it in God’s hands, and we know He’ll strengthen our faith when we ask for it. In His compassion He doesn’t leave us in the faltering and weak place of an “if you can” prayer. He wants us to transform our prayers and faith, so we ask with all boldness and confidence and accept His answers, trusting as boldly as ever. He accepts our weak and small prayers but urges us to grow in confidence and trust. He lifts our chin from our navel-gazing and self-pity, and gazes into our eyes. “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” Yes! Always yes, you will be given more faith. From faltering to faith. Faith is ready for the asking. He’s merciful and good. No question. He loves us. No question. Our “amen” says “I believe it! Yes, yes, it shall be so!”.

From faltering to faith, God is ready to strengthen our faith and our prayers. When we pray: “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” we’re in position for Jesus to embolden us. To drive out our doubts. To pour faith into us, up to Him and away from ourselves. Armed with prayer and faith, we have His strength to face our afflictions, our troubles, and our opportunities, with boldness and confidence that rests knowing God is in control and He is good. In Him our faith is more firmly founded, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.