“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23)
This Scripture is taken from the incident when the disciples of Jesus couldn’t heal a boy with a dumb spirit. Jesus had been transfigured. He glowed with the glory of heaven and encounters the disciples unable to deliver the boy who had been troubled by the dumb spirit since he was a young boy. The father tells Jesus, “...but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” (Mark 9:22)
Scores of people have been and are in a similar situation. They may or may not have some kind of a spirit, but they do have a condition or are in a situation that seems impossible. They need healing, deliverance or help of some kind. No one and nothing they have tried has helped. Then they come to Jesus and say like this father, “but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” But the request should not be “if” Jesus can do anything. There is no question that Jesus has the power to heal. And there is no question that Jesus is willing to heal. Jesus tells the father in not so many words that he’s asking Jesus to heal the boy with doubt.
God’s Word is clear that Jesus is able and willing to heal. And Jesus tells us as He told the father that day, “...If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” We know that healing is provided in the New Covenant of Jesus. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1Peter 2:24) That’s a done deal. So, we should never pray, “...if it be Thy will” concerning healing because it’s clearly God’s Will. The question is whether we have enough faith to receive that healing. We should pray like the father asked Jesus, “...Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
When one is in the midst of the pain, trouble and/or crisis, it’s difficult to think straight. Knowing the Truth and doing what is right in God’s eyes gets hazy. I’ve been in such a situation a few times and at such times, I go into autopilot. I quote Scripture, pray in faith and sing songs of worship, but my feelings don’t match my words and actions. I am fearful and full of doubt, but do not allow those fears and doubts to manifest in the natural. I push forward in words and actions of faith, not allowing my fears and doubts to dominate me. God knows my thoughts and feelings. He understands. But He sees my faith in my words and actions. God does not ignore that because I show the natural and spiritual world where my faith really lies in spite of the fears and doubts that are racing through my head and that trying to control me.
Crucial decisions sometimes have to be made at such times, not only in what we say and how we act, but decisions that may affect the rest of our lives. We have to take into account our faith and also the reality of our lives. An important question is: Do I have the proper support to continue in faith? Sometimes our lives are so full of other demands, it will be difficult to set ourselves in a position void of distractions and void of the frustrations of life and others to keep a healthy environment of faith. One wrong word and deed may unravel our delicate condition and make us throw in the towel completely. It’s important to look at the reality of our lives. But most importantly and because we can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13), we must listen to the Holy Spirit and do as He says. In the end, that’s all that matters. Why? Because only the Lord knows the outcome. And we want to be in God’s perfect Will.
We live in a time when technology has made it possible to take care of many ills, especially in the medical field. These are God sent helps for man. There is nothing wrong with turning to doctors, medicine, surgeries and other help in the medical field as long as we don’t believe this is our salvation because it isn’t. God is still in control. And we must always be willing to obey and to do whatever the Lord is telling us to do.
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