06 Feb Faith and Prayer
Read: Mark 9:14-29
Last Sunday we considered the event of the transfiguration of Jesus from Mark 9:1-13. This Sunday Pastor Ken will preach from Mark 9:14-29 and consider how the Lord helps us in our failures. As you prepare your heart for our corporate gathering, let these words from Dr. Akin encourage you and move you to further consider the state of your heart before God.
Heart Preparation
What went wrong for the disciples? Why didn’t their attempt at “binding the strong man” (3: 27) work?
Failure Should Lead Us to Ask Questions of Ourselves (Mark 9:28)
Introspection is a healthy spiritual discipline when it causes us to examine our weaknesses and confront our limitations. Presumptuous self-sufficiency may be viewed as a great strength by the world, but it is deadly to our spiritual lives. The disciples failed big time. It was public, brought ridicule, cast doubt on their Master and mission, and filled them with self-doubt. So when Jesus initiated reflection and debriefing, they asked, “Why couldn’t we drive the demon out?” Their question betrays a sense of confidence in their own strengths and abilities. It suggests a spirit of pride rooted in past accomplishments (6:7-13) that they believed should have been sufficient for this encounter. They are saying, “We did it before and we will do it again. But it didn’t work this time. Why?” Failure leads them to question themselves. This is a good thing.
Failure Should Drive Us to God in Humility (Mark 9:29)
Jesus responds with a powerful spiritual insight: “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.” The phrase “this kind” refers to casting out demons and all other spiritual conflicts of this nature. He is not saying some demon exorcisms require prayer but others do not. He is saying that whenever we take to the spiritual battlefield, if we go in our own strength, pride, and self-sufficiency, we have lost the battle before it begins. Faith bridges the gap between divine omnipotence and human weakness, and that faith is experienced and exercised through prayer. Could this be why prayer is one of the most difficult of the spiritual disciplines? Could this be why we don’t see greater things in missions, our churches, and our personal lives? Is this why Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing”? The power of prayer is obviously not going to be experienced if we don’t pray. Tim Keller observes that the prayer of the father is characterized by honesty, helplessness, hopefulness, specificity, and passion (“ Mark,” 112). These character traits of believing prayer can be summed up in one word: humility. It all depends on Jesus. If He acts, I’m delivered; if He doesn’t, I am lost. Faith expressed in prayer says, “I would not have it any other way.”
Excerpt from Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Mark, by Daniel L. Akin, pp. 189-190.
Song List for Sunday
- “God Is Able,” by Hillsong Live
- “Come Thou Fount,” David Crowder Arrangement
- “By Faith,” by Keith and Kristyn Getty
- “Lord, I Need You,” Shane and Shane Arrangement