Two-minute read.
“And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Mark 9:29
Prayerful dependence.
Possessed by an unclean spirit, a young boy suffers from seizures that cast him to the ground, his mouth foaming and teeth grinding, his body becoming rigid. When his father asks the disciples for help, they do nothing, powerless to help. Desperately, the dad cries out to Jesus, who responds to the father’s doubts:
‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23
The boy’s father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Rebuking the unclean spirit, it left the boy’s body, leaving him lifeless on the ground until Jesus took his hand, lifting him up and restoring the youngster to life. Witnessing Christ’s actions, knowing their efforts failed, the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t do what He did since they had authority over all evil spirits. Responding with today’s scripture, Jesus told them they needed divine intervention to deal with this type of spirit.
What the disciples didn’t understand, but learned, they can do nothing without God’s help. Because of their connection to Jesus, they had authority over the evil spirits, but they failed when they tried to do it on their strength. Like a wi-fi connection, we must have it to connect to the internet, but if we don’t join a network, we can’t surf the web. The disciples tried to expel the demon without a connection to God.
How easily can we fall into the trap of doing things on our own accord, not including God in the decision? As a lifelong Christ follower, I still make this mistake, even though I know better. Disconnecting from the Lord happens instantly, just like a power outage from the cable company leaves you without a wi-fi connection. If you want to know how quickly you disconnect from God, try the Soul Revolution Experiment.[1] For 60 days, set your watch or phone’s alarm every 60 minutes. When the alarm dings, stop and think about God and your connection to Him in that moment. Use the timer to reconnect with God and invite Him into the situation.
When I did this experiment, I quickly realized how much time I spend disconnected from the Lord, trying to do things on my strength, with God’s help. Life distracts us from the Lord. Busyness remains one of the enemy’s most successful battle plans. Prayerful dependence gives us access to the Lord’s power, enabling us to achieve more than we could ever imagine. But without God, we can do nothing.
Journal Questions:
- How can I apply today’s devotion to my life?
- What can you do to keep your connection to God strong?
- How can dependence on the Lord help your life?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us access to Your holy network. Forgive us for disconnecting from You and trying to do things on our strength. Help us become more aware of how quickly we turn from You when dealing with life’s problems. Draw us back to Your network; don’t let us stray far from Your divine power. Keep our connection to You solid and uninterrupted. IJNIP. Amen
[1] https://www.soulrevolution.net/
