Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

 Mark 9:14-29

 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

This morning I am taking a short side trip from my study of John to look at Mark 9:14-29 in support of my Friday morning men's Bible study group. Here the text looks at Jesus' healing of a boy with an unclean spirit (whom the disciples could not heal). Here are my observations of the text using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus is once again sought by crowds as He has been teaching and performing miracles - including healing a deaf man, a blind man (chapter 7,8) and feeding the four thousand (chapter 8).  Here, Jesus is among a crowd after the Transfiguration (vv2-13) and a father seeks to heal his son whom the disciples were not able to heal (despite how Jesus sent them out in Mark 6:7-12 and gave them authority over the unclean spirits) - see vv17-18. Jesus rebuked the crowd generally (including the disciples and the father) for their lack of faith - v19.  Jesus then specifically rebukes the boy's father who was not fully convinced Jesus could heal his son - vv22-23.  Then, Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and the boy is healed.  In response to the disciples who questioned Jesus why they could not heal the boy,  Jesus shares that "[t]his kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer" (v29).  It seems that Jesus wants His disciples to be clear that it is not their power that is doing these miracles but the Triune God who works through them.  Yes, Jesus did give the disciples authority over unclean spirits, but that does not make them God, and they remain 100% dependent on God - we are reminded of this and in why we need to pray.    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: This is humbling and v29 reminds us to pray and always act in utter dependence on Him.  Contrast the father of the boy with the disciples as the father "cries out "I believe, help my unbelief."  This is the kind of posture and prayer Jesus seeks from us - He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit but at the same time we must "pray ceaselessly" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that heals and saves!  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving - there are many times where my faith is weak - please help me with my unbelief.  And my sin is great...daily.  Please forgive me for my sin and help me turn from and repent of my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

 

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Now that I have wrapped my my study of the last four books of the Old Testament (Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi), I start anew using a book that I never completed but I am now going back to - an homage to my brother in Christ and mentor Warren Snyder, who introduced me to this book - The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 2: Reasons for our Study where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "The world is filled with the inventions of human skill and genius, but there is a vast emptiness which neither science nor art is able to fill."
• Life is full of discontent in ourselves or in the world, and Jesus shares promises of rest, the bread and drink of Life, the Light of the World, peace, power, and joy (for example see Matthew 11:28, John 6:35, and 14:27).  "Bread and water, light and rest and peace and power and joy, are these not the seven elemental blessings which make human life complete? If this man promises to give us the things which the soul most desires, it is worth while to study his method and find out, if we can, how his proffered gifts can be most speedily obtained."
•  Jesus' "supreme concern is for the rightness of heart of the individual man. This moulder of empires gives himself to the task of moulding individual men. This arch revolutionist starts his conflagrations in the individual soul. He draws one man to him, infuses into him a new spirit, sends him after one brother man, who in time goes after a third man, and this third man after a fourth, and thus does he weld a chain by means of which Caesar shall be dragged from his throne."
• In transforming lives, Jesus does not care about the "nature or nurture" theory, where a man is in his station or how he got there. He uses other men to change the character of a man. "It is by the changing of the character of a man that we change the character of other men, and by changing the character of many men we change the character of institutions and ultimately of empires and civilizations. When Jesus says, " Behold I make all things new," he lays his hand on the heart of a man....He will introduce golden ages by giving individuals a character like his own." 
• "[T]here is no more effective worker for the world's redemption than the man or woman who in high or obscure places, strives, in season and out of season, to persuade men to conform their lives to the pattern presented to us in the character of Jesus; and no one is advancing so swiftly toward the golden age as the man or woman who by prayer and daily effort endeavors to build up in mind and spirit the virtues and graces of the Man of Galilee. Here then we find the supreme mission of the Christian clergyman: it is to help men to fall in love with the character of Jesus."
• Jesus is noted as "preeminently a man of prayer" and we are encouraged not just in our study of the Character of Jesus but at all times to be in prayer.  
  

It is on this last excerpt where I seek an anchor in scripture, looking specifically at text that emphasizes our need for prayer.  John Piper and DesiringGod.com provide a great pointer here.  In this short podcast, Piper unpacks 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 and answers the question how to pray without ceasing.  Piper shares first from the text that we focus on doing good in the face of evil (not focusing on revenge), and on doing good at all times, rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. He shares that the context here is that we should be doing these things at all times and in all circumstances.  He then stresses that the key themes we see in the text include a "spirit of dependence that should permeate all that we do," we should pray repeatedly and often, and that we should never give up on prayer.  Amen!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who is SO good, and good to me. Thank You for the incredible grace You already poured out for me on the cross and for the grace You continue to pour out daily for me.  I am not deserving of this grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.   Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

 [D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

I continue pause my study of Zechariah and of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  Today, my preparation to lead Sunday school at my church, where our class is doing a study on prayer based on the book by A Praying Life, moves along.  I pick up today in chapter 7 - Crying "Abba" Continuously, and 8 - Bending Your Heart To Your Father.  As chapter 8 winds to a close - it emphasizes how anxiety should drive us to prayer as it is "relentless."  As anxiety never rests we should be driven to relentlessly seek Christ in prayer - we are encouraged to read the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-7) as Jesus shares how "God give[s] justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night[.]" Hannah's (1 Samuel 1) weeping and praying also should encourage us to let anxiety power our prayers. 

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My Prayer: Father, I am utterly and completely dependent on You and can do nothing without You.  Help me be in constant awareness of this and how so full of grace You are for me and I seek that this love You have for me should of course animate me to love, worship, and praise You constantly but also love others because this is what pleases You and I seek to please You.  Thank You for the many blessings You pour out for me but I am undeserving.  My sin is great and it continues..daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Isaiah 61-63

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Isaiah 63:7

I resume my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  My study of Isaiah moves on to day 4 (of 5) of week 22, which looks at Isaiah 61-63.  Day 4 focuses on observations of Isaiah 63.  My commentary describes the main idea of this chapter (which the commentary groups with 64:1-12 as well) as "God’s passionate response to sin, both in wrath for the nations and discipline for his people, [and how such a response] should call forth persistent and fervent prayer from God’s people."  The commentary describes how this chapter is a foretaste of end times, describes an "intercessor," and  includes the following divisions:

• The intercessor recounts the Lord’s history of love (63:7-9). 
• The intercessor confesses sin (63:10). 
• The intercessor prays based on the Lord’s history (63:11-16). 
• The intercessor laments over the Lord’s disciplines (63:17-19). 
• The intercessor pleads for God to descend (64:1-5a).
  

We all sin and need a Savior, and our prayers should never cease to thank Him for His amazing grace, and for His help to become more like Him.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God whose love knows no bounds for me and whose grace is amazing indeed!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints[.]

Romans 15

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints[.] Romans 15:30-31

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter nineteen Great Commission Christians, which covers Romans 15:14-15:33.  My focus today is v15:30-33, which my commentary refers to under the heading "Pray for Those on the Front Lines." Paul is indeed on the front lines, and as he aspires to preach the gospel throughout the region to Spain (v15:28) and elsewhere as part of his "holy ambition," he faces resistance, persecution, loneliness, financial strain, etc.  John tells that our journey with Christ will not be without troubles (John 16:33).  Paul asks, indeed "appeal[s]" (v15:30), for prayer - to join him in prayer.  I strive to be generous with my prayer - even as I know I fall short on this.  I pray to be generous in my prayer.  James encourages us to pray as we should understand it is powerful:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

From today's verses, my commentary seeks to have believers understand six aspects of prayer:  

• it is a privilege
• we love others through our prayers
• we should pray passionately and persistently
• we should pray for those on the front lines and for their work to bear fruit
• we should pray with awareness that God may not answer our prayers as we envision
• we should pray not just for immediate needs but for long term desires (and heart change) 

In particular, I know if I more clearly recognize the first two aspects I will move closer to delivering on the last four. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed a great God and I know that You have placed others in my life who have prayer for me.  I have felt these prayers and I know as a result You responded with power and movement in my life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how others have prayed for me as I have sinned greatly and it weighs heavy.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

John 11

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I start the story of "Lazarus: The Final Witness*".

*Title of lesson eight from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day one starts with Max Lucado describing a fictional account of a courtroom trial where Lazarus is a final witness to determine whether Jesus could serve as the guardian for the reader of the account (or anyone for that matter). John is Jesus' attorney and asks Lazarus to tell his story which is in John 11. We are to note a few things about this story - one is that Jesus did not come to Lazarus' aide for at least four days as Lazarus was already dead and buried by the time He arrived (John 11:17).  Lucado also wants us to understand that "we don't always know why God delays in answering our request, but we can trust his timing". In this case, we learn from John 11 that Jesus arrived later because He wanted it to give them cause to believe in Jesus' power.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. John 11:14-15

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” John 11:41-42

Lucado also encourages us to understand the power of prayer (in God's Name - John 11:21-22) and to share our personal testimony with others as I am sure Lazarus did with others.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who hears our cries answers all of them.  We don't know Your timing but we know that You have a plan for our good and Your glory and we can wait and trust in the Lord.  Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness and that You always hear and reply to our cries.  I am not deserving of all the blessings You pour out for me.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

Matthew 19, 11, Mark 10, and Luke 9, 10-11, 17, John 10

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” Luke 18:1-5

Day 308 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on what my commentary* refers to as the "final two months of [Jesus'] Galilean ministry." Jesus sends out 72 of His disciples to broaden the work of His ministry and to prepare the way for the church.  The scripture this morning includes a number of parables, including the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), and the Parable of Persistence (Luke 11:5-8). Upon prompting, Jesus also teaches the disciples how to pray (Luke 11:1-4). Finally, Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) and once again meets opposition from the Jewish leaders who attempt to stone Jesus but He escapes.

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Of note this morning are Jesus' words on persistent prayer not just in Luke 11 but also in Luke 18 where He tells us The Parable of the Persistent Widow.  John Piper also urges us to take to heart how "persisting, persevering prayer - is utterly important for us"[.]

Lord Jesus, help me persist and persevere in my prayer!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are persistent and You are faithful.  You never leave or forsake me, and all of Your promises are true.  I am grateful for all that You are an all that You do - it is overwhelming that You love me and You died for me.  I am undeserving of such love.  I continue to worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.