PJP2 PROLOG 160210 PROLOG Focus Mark 9:21-24....

Psalm 57:5 (NIV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Be Exalted, O God, Above the heavens; Let Your Glory Be Over all the earth."....

PROLOG POST 160210 Mark 9:21-24 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And Jesus asked the demon-possessed son's father, 'How long has this been happening to him?'  The father answered Jesus, 'From childhood.  And it has often cast him into fire and water, to destroy him...

....BUT IF You Can Do Anything, Have Compassion on us, And Help us."

And Jesus Said to him, 'IF You can!  ALL Things Are Possible For one who Believes.'

Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, "I Believe; Help my unbelief!'"....

His Story of Healing this demon-possessed son and his father always grips me.  How much I can relate to both the dad and the son.  The dad's primary challenge is doubt.  I started to type that I had to admit it had to take a lot of courage to say to our Lord Jesus, "If You Can...." - BUT (Behold the Underlying Truth), I Sense The Spirit Reminding me of times, via my actions I too have in essence said the very same to our Lord.  Then I Know as well that I have been caught in the throes of my own selfishness, which, like the sickened son, the old sinful self has in its own way sought to destroy my Right Relationship with God The Father.

Praise our Lord Jesus, though, for His Classic Response...."If You Can!  ALL Things Are Possible For one who Believes."

Yes, you did catch my comment above that our Lord Jesus Healed BOTH the father and his son.  In Mark 9:25-27, our Lord Jesus rebukes the evil spirit and orders the demon to come out of the boy, which it does obey, and the boy's fully healed after Jesus takes him by the hand.  Though The Word does not say this, I have to think that the father, having witnessed Jesus Heal his son - well, there's just no way this Dad walks away from this experience without Fully Believing and Having Faith that our Lord Jesus is indeed the long awaited Messiah.

So what's all this say for us today?  Like the dad we have a choice - we can remain in our doubt, or we can choose to Believe (and Trust) in God's Proven Provision via The Grace Given by His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Think on this - our doubt, much like the nails that held Jesus to His Cross, ultimately lead to our downfall, for nothing we do on our own can relieve and remove the dragging down our doubt causes.  We can, though, Choose to Believe and Trust that Jesus is Faithful and True to His Word.  He Proved this by His Resurrection, negating the doubt of those who crucified Him, and at the very same time, Revealing to us that our Belief in Him is Well Founded, not just for the now, BUT for All Eternity.

Thus my Prayer for us today is simply - Lord Jesus, Help us in our Choices today.  Holy Spirit Guide us to Ever Base our Choices on Faith, Belief and Trust in You.  Father God Thank You for Your Loving Grace.  Lord Jesus, we Proclaim with this father, "Lord I Do Believe; Help my unbelief!"....We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Holy Name.  Amen/Amen....jaj

Blessings/jaj