Mark 9:28-29
Sometimes
we look at prayer as our last resort tool, the tool we pull out when we have
tried everything else and don’t know what to do. We act like praying is
equivalent to rubbing the magic lamp hoping the genie will materialize and
grant us three wishes. The more we pray the faster the genie will appear. Or
maybe that prayer is the lucky charm we carry in our pocket to protect us from
evil. If we forget to pray, something bad will happen.
Today
we often pick up our ideas of what prayer is and does from movies and TV. But
how could they possibly have any idea about the true nature of prayer? The vast
majority are wacked out hedonist, interested only in their own success and
pleasure. They ignore any restraint to their behavior and belief. They are “free”
to do as they please. They can appear in movies toting machine guns and then
speak against gun violence. Like so many in leadership in our society, they take
no responsibility for their personal choices and the consequences of those
choices on others or on society at large. So why do we trust what they say
about prayer!
The
disciples had a problem. They were not able to cast out a demon, even though
Jesus had given them authority to do so. When this man brought his son I bet
the disciples thought this would be no problem. They had been given power and
authority to do just this type of thing by Jesus. They had done it before. They
certainly could do it again. But they couldn’t.
So
after Jesus accomplishes the task, they want to know what happened. Wouldn’t
you! So they ask. What a novel idea, being direct.
But
Jesus gives them a short answer, or at least this is all Mark records. And the
answer doesn’t seem to fill in too many of the blanks that I have. I’m not sure
how the disciples felt. Whether it is by prayer or by prayer and fasting, this
doesn’t solve the problem. Did you see Jesus stop and spend time in either
activity before He began casting out the demon? Our text certainly doesn’t
record that.
Perhaps
prayer was not the means of receiving power to accomplish the task, but receiving
insight into the how to accomplish it. Jesus certainly would not need prayer.
He has the power of all Heaven at His disposal. But the disciples were missing
something. Perhaps they were out of intimate relationship with the LORD when
they tried. Demon-casting had become routine for them. “Oh, that old thing. I
can to that in my sleep.”
Prayer
is essentially about relationship. We have a conversation with the LORD to hear
His voice, His direction, and receive the power to accomplish it. We share our
worship, adoration, thankfulness, and concerns with Him in the process. Prayer is about the flow of being, ours
reaching out to Him and He reaching back.
God’s
working does not fit into neat little boxes. Prayer is not the magic bullet
that takes out all the bad guys in our life. It is, instead, the means of
relationship building. When we add His Word along with fellowship and service
of others we round out the ways He can connect with us. And it is that
connection that Jesus had in spades. The disciples needed prayer. So do we.