Mark 9:14-24 (NLT)
When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
“What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
When this portion of Scripture crosses my vision, I’m drawn to the words of Jesus in verse twenty-three, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ with believers. Anything can happen.” (The Message). As with this man, and many of you, I’ve been plagued by doubts. Don’t get me wrong, my faith grows daily. Still, those reckless, emotional doubts coerce us into asking such questions as: Will I ever be significant? Will we ever produce a harvest equipped and hungry to reach out to others? Will God truly work out this issue for me? Will he really heal the sick these days? Will Greenville change or are we too far gone? Will I accomplish what I’m meant to?
Our concerns may differ but I daresay we wrestle with the same underlying issue. This calming bit of the Red Letters reminds us Jesus doesn’t operate in the realm of the possible (if) but that of the impossible (anything). This story, along with dozens we studied earlier in Mark, proves this. When a person is willing to throw caution and reputation to the wind, step out into the unknown, and grasp for Jesus, anything can -and will- happen.
A hero of the faith, George Mueller, was fond of saying, “Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The province of faith begins where possibilities cease and sight and sense fail.” Not only a man of wise words, Mueller lived it out, opening and operating orphanages without knowing how it would work out or how in the world they’d pay for it. He prayerfully stepped out in faith daily, working tirelessly to lift youth out of poverty, homelessness, and loneliness. He simply prayed and believed everything would work out. And it did! Even with him receiving mysterious gifts of money or miracles occurring just in the nick of time.
What we remember Mueller for isn’t his work so much as his single-minded devotion to his faith in Jesus Christ. Many people do ministry. But most of us only hope for miracles without actually believing that it will work out. Our hearts, our mindsets must change. They must transform from rickety emotions to solid and stalwart belief. And this begins by practicing such faith one circumstance at a time. As you witness the LORD work in an area you have faith in, you will then grow to trust and believe him for “bigger” things. Eventually, we’ll be able to explain with Jesus, “Anything can happen!”
Application: Hundreds (if not thousands) of Christian writers have pondered and pontificated on why we, as believers, don’t doubts our doubts more than we doubt our faith. I will join the fray only to challenge you to do this: Today, when an act of faith is required, place your whole-hearted belief in Jesus to work it out. Don’t say and think “if”; proclaim, “Anything can happen with Jesus!”
