Daily Reflection – 2/20/2024
Sacred Scripture
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” 7 And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:14-29)
Reflection
Isn’t it true in your life that you are often a mixture of belief and unbelief, faithfulness and unfaithfulness, that seem to compete against one another? The story of the boy’s father in Mark 9:14-29 is a vivid picture of us. Aren’t there times when we tentatively pray to God saying, “If you can do anything, have compassion on me and help me” (Mark 9:22)? And doesn’t Jesus whisper back to us, “If you can believe, all things are possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23)?
In moments of doubt and weakness, we are works in progress. What God loves to see is that we continue to turn to Him, regardless of our starting point. This scripture not only illustrates the power of faith but also Jesus’ boundless compassion and desire to nurture our spiritual growth.
Are there “demons” or difficulties in your life that will not go away? Perhaps the problem lies in a lack of fervent faith. Are you faithfully praying? Not just praying about the one great difficulty in your life, but praying without ceasing and for all things?
Trust that Jesus is healing you, your loved ones, and our world, even if you do not see the immediate healing. Healing is often different from a miraculous cure—it takes time. Be patient! Trust! Be attentive to small changes in your life or in the person you want Jesus to heal.
Years ago, I wrote about learning the Texas Two Step. It was fun and its steps taught me the fox-trot, polka, and even the jitterbug. Once you learn it, you can adapt it to just about any popular dance. So, what does the two-step have to do with today’s scripture?
The first requirement for the miracle was true faith. But there is a “second step” on the journey of faith. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), in his commentary on this passage, reminds us that prayer and faith go together: “Where faith fails, prayer perishes. For who prays for that in which he does not believe? So then in order that we may pray, let us believe, and let us pray that this same faith by which we pray may not falter.”
This journey of faith that you and I have embarked on is a never-ending process. Life presents opportunities, challenges, moments to laugh and praise, and moments to cry and possibly despair. The one constant is that our faith is there. We may walk away from it, we may wonder why it’s not stronger, we may even be unaware that it is there.
But the Lord left us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is always within us, guiding us, stirring our hearts, and reminding us that our actions or words may not be in concert with God. The Spirit communicates with us every day.
Our communications back are our prayers. Prayers keep us in touch with the Holy Spirit. The more we practice our prayer, the more natural it becomes. The more we build our daily prayer life, the stronger we become in following Him. The stronger we are in our faith, the greater our reserves of faith to guide us on our journey.
Faith and prayer: two steps, over and over again. It’s the key to living a life in concert with God. Remember, God is calling you to greater faith and faithfulness. Begin wherever you are, but make a new beginning today. Turn to God more fully than you did yesterday. Pray with faith, and believe that all things are possible for those who believe.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, help my unbelief! Increase my faith and trust in your saving power. Give me confidence and perseverance, especially in prayer. And help me to bring your healing love and truth to those I meet”
Daily Note
The mighty works and signs which Jesus did demonstrate that the kingdom of God is present in him. These signs attest that the Father has sent him as the promised Messiah. They invite belief in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world. Jesus offers us the path to eternal life. If we truly have taken that into our hearts then every day should begin with a prayer of thanks no matter where we are on our faith journey or whatever life has given us
