Tag Archives: Mark 9:23

All things possible, not easy

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All things are possible to him who believes. Mark 9:23

 

 

This promise verse is set in the context of Jesus being confronted by parents of a boy possessed by a demon since childhood. They plead with Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “If you can? Everything is possible to the one who believes. The father replied, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:17-24)

 

Can you remember a situation beyond your control when you cried out, “This is impossible! I can’t do it!” Whether the wall you’ve hit is pain, sorrow, despair, shame, or rejection, it’s easy to feel confined by it. Then we cry out, “God IF you are listening and IF you are able to fix this, help me.” I think the plea God often longs to hear is the cry of one who believes that God IS the God He says He is. The way out of impossibility is faith in the one through whom all things are possible.

 

Some people might tell you that with God’s grace you can handle life’s trials “with ease.”  God’s grace is an amazing undeserved gift, freely poured out to all who believe in His Son and put their faith and trust in Him. But an easy faith?   I don’t think Paul found it easy to endure many kinds of torture and suffering.  Steven received a special dispensation of God’s grace when he was stoned, but do you think he found his execution to be easy? I suspect the persecuted and martyred Christians in the middle east today don’t find that faith comes with ease. I wrestled with the experience of God’s grace during my journey with cancer. Faith made enduring pain and fear possible, not easy.

 

Sometimes God calms the storm around us. Sometimes He puts His arm around us in the middle of the storm and helps us steer through the storm to a safe harbor. The inconvenient truth that doesn’t sell a lot of books is that often God’s grace helps us endure what we cannot endure on our own even when there is not an imminent escape from the pain. God’s Word says that suffering and trials continue, with grace to endure and build character that leads to hope in future glory. That is a very great gift, though not always what we seek.

 

The good news is that God knows our fears and He is ready to speak with authority to each of them and to disarm them. Even though the temptation of fear may persist, faith has the power to disarm it, to nullify its effect and to endure with confidence that presses on and endures.   It may seem that the odds are impossible, that you cannot endure them. But you can still choose faith in the God who makes all things possible to endure.

 

Father – I believe. Help my unbelief.

 

 

Have Faith

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Have faith in God.  Mark 11:22

 

He alone is my rock and my salvation. Psalm 62:2

 

Faith. It’s what you trust, believe in, put your full confidence in, and your hope. But it’s not enough to say to someone, “Have faith,” as if it were a ‘good luck’ wish.  Faith can be misplaced in a lot of things. We could have faith in cramming for a test, but it is an unlikely strategy for success. We can put our faith in healthy living but it alone does not prevent cancer.  We can put our faith in fetishes, statues, and icons, but with what tongues would they speak to us? We can put faith in karma, that what goes around also comes around. That reminds me of the man and wife and went to heaven. Standing before the Pearly Gates she says to him, “George, whatever you do, don’t insist on getting everything you deserve!”

 

But wait. Jesus said that if we had even a tiny amount of faith we could move mountains. Because of the centurion’s faith a child was healed. By faith a blind man’s sight was restored. By faith we are saved, not by works. There is a difference between putting our faith in people, things, or empty ‘religions’ and putting our faith in God. Jesus said, “Have faith in God.”

 

Doesn’t having faith in God mean you get what you want, like that verse that says He will give you the desires of your heart? Can’t we just gather 2 or 3 people together, add “in the name of Jesus” at the end of our prayer with confidence we will get exactly what we asked for?  Not quite. Even a child learns that saying ‘please and thank you’ are not always the ‘magic’ words.

 

Having faith in God means having confidence in who He is, that He will always be true to His character. It means trusting Him completely. (It’s not saying, “God I trust you, but in case things don’t work out the way I like, I’m keeping my back-up plan.”) It means agreeing with the psalmist who wrote, “(God) alone is my rock and my salvation.” In the movie The Mummy, the weasel-like character Beni tries to placate the resurrected Egyptian Imhotep with all kinds of talismans, hoping one might work. It’s like the actress who described her faith as, “A bit from Christianity, a little from Buddhism, and some New Age thinking,” as if faith works like a buffet line at the local restaurant.   We scoff at such foolishness but I wonder, don’t we often put the ‘gods’ of wealth, work, family, and our natural abilities to succeed above the One and only true God?

 

By faith in God we understand, persevere, overcome, and rejoice. By faith all things are possible, not easy, but possible. Have faith in God. Even a small faith, when nurtured grows to maturity.

 

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

 

 

Beyond Cancer – Beyond Suffering

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imageWe saw this photo on one of our walks at Mercy Hospital. Mercy Medical Director, Dr. Richard Deming organizes world trips for cancer survivors; those people he says, “find possibility in what seems to be impossible.”

Deming states, “As a cancer doctor, I have learned so much about life by witnessing the transformation that occurs when individuals and families face a cancer diagnosis. Cancer becomes a mountain to climb, but it also becomes a teacher and a catalyst to changing one’s life.”

I remember a dear friend saying years ago, that cancer gave him such a clear focus on his priorities. In a remarkable confession he said that he wanted to be healed of cancer, but if being healed meant he would lose his focus, especially on Jesus, he would rather have the cancer! While many might find that to be an unacceptable response, it left an enduring impression on me. No doubt, you can recall times when things became very clear, like a ‘mountain top’ experience. But how typical it is to lose some of that focus when you climb back down the mountain and reengage in day to day life.

After reaching the goal of first remission, I thought I would climb down the mountain and get stronger and stronger. Instead, this past week found me weaker and with more struggles. But I thank God (literally) that He has allowed me to regain focus each day. Sometimes my thought processes switches from ‘this situation’ to ‘Jesus’ and back and forth throughout the day. But it never as been stuck in ‘suffering.’ This whole business of drawing close to God doesn’t make our situation go away. But it reminds us that we won’t be stuck in the situation forever and we never have to endure it alone. (Thanks Cindy for that reminder.)

Closing words from Dr. Deming: “Now more than ever, we choose to live our lives fully engaged and passionately committed. No matter how many days we have left on this earth, we do have today. It’s only by reaching for something that’s above and beyond what you think is possible that you have any idea what you can accomplish.”

As you look at your life, is there something you need to get above and beyond? Something that would matter so much in your life that living fully engaged and passionately committed to it would change the impossible to possible?

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” – Jesus, Mark 9:23