Some years ago I realized that my prayers were not very honest. In private, I would attempt to pray publicly acceptable prayers. I felt like I was lying to God and that He saw right through my lies to the reality of my heart. I realize that this is brings up issue concerning public prayers but I will not be addressing that here. I felt like the only person that I could be honest with was myself. I now understand that God knows me better that I do, and I have begun asking to Him to reveal my own heart to me. In this I have found freedom and security.
Many of you may not be totally honest with God and it is my hope that this post will help bring you the freedom to start. It is also my hope that you will be better equipped to help those in your life who are not following Jesus because they are hurt or let down in some way. The truth is, that Christians often fail to be helpful and because of this many stay away from Jesus.
In the Bible we find Mark recounting a story about a man who brought his demon possessed son to some of the disciples of Jesus. They were unable to help and this led to a huge argument among the disciples and a large crowd. We find this story in The Gospel of Mark 9:14-29. This story makes me think of the many riots we have seen breakout because people are not satisfied with how our leaders handle things. Mark does not report that fires were being set, nor does he say that people were looting menorahs from the local craftsmen. Thankfully Jesus showed up before anything too crazy happened. In fact when he did show up the people we was soon blamed for killing the boy. To say the least, this scene was intense. Please open your Bibles and read the text for yourself. If you don't have your Bible with you, follow this link http://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/mark/passage/?q=mark+9:14-29 .
Much can be said about this passage, but again my goal is to address being honest with God so I will limit myself to that and leave the other issues for another time. Right away we notice that when things go wrong, arguments break out and someone has to be to blame. Why could the disciples not help this boy? Why are so many not helped when they attend a church or go to a Christian friend while in desperate need? This is a serious issue and the cause of many being estranged from God.
As Jesus came on the scene, He was given an explanation of what has happened. Jesus responded by calling those involved in the argument, a "faithless generation". I don't think Jesus was blaming the father of a lack of faith, but the accusation was most likely directed toward His disciples and the group arguing with them. This statement by Jesus is explained and the end of the text when Jesus tells the disciples that such things are dealt with only through prayer. Putting these together and we can conclude that the disciples were trying to cast out the demon by their own power. This type of failure is similar to when we say that we want to do something for Jesus as if we are saying, "hey Jesus watch what I can do!" That usually ends just as bad as when we were young and we told our friends, "hey watch this!"
Continuing with Mark's account of Jesus' discussion with the father, we observe the freeing reality that we can be honest with God concerning how much we trust His ability and goodness. When the father brings the his son to Jesus he says, "If you can do anything have compassion on us and help us." This request reaches the level of honesty that we much all attain. The father's phrase, "if you can...", displays a mix of faith yet some doubt at the same time. This man had just been let down by those that follow Jesus, so will Jesus be any different? The question many are asking today is, "is God powerful enough to help me." The second part of the fathers question reveals his thoughts on the goodness of God. There may be things in your life right now that bring the same two questions to your mind. With this father as your example, ask Jesus the same question.
In response to the father's request, Jesus repeats the first line back to him. When Jesus does this, He is bringing that part the father's request to the forefront of the discussion. Here Jesus says, "All things are possible for those one who believes." The truth here is that faith must be in the person of Jesus. Once our faith is in the person of Jesus all things become possible. The father's response was one of desperation and honesty when he cried out, "I believe, but help my unbelief." There is not desperation that compares to that of a parent of a troubled child.
As the father cries out in utter desperation and honesty Jesus delivers the boy of demon possession. However the boy appears to be dead. I can only imagine the look of horror in the eyes of this father as his heart sank thing the worst had occurred. Then as only Jesus could do, He brought the son to his feet fully restored. The father's unbelief was helped.
Mark's account comes to a close with the disciples asking the honest question that so many wonderful Christians ask. Why could we not help. I have asked this question many times. Jesus' response to His disciples by telling them that prayer is the only means of help in this type of situation. The truth is, without prayer Christians are worthless to bring real help to those in need. The challenge here is that we must put our trust in the ability and mercy of Jesus. As these two are prayerfully applied, help will be found.
May you be open and honest with God for He already know the truth which is in your heart and may you prayerfully rely upon His ability and mercy.
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