Help Me Overcome

             A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.  Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

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

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (Mark 9:17-25)

 

I relate to the father in this story. His goal was to free his son from the spirit that had possessed him. It was a firm desire. He’d probably spent years and more money than he could afford seeking deliverance. Lots of people probably said, “Yes, of course,” and failed. I can understand the dilemma the man faced. This Jesus might be the answer, or he might be like all the others. He desperately wanted to believe. He knew God could, but after so many disappointments, could he work up the courage? Could he trust one more time? And yet, how could he not?

Of course, my needs are not as great, humanly speaking. Life and limb are not at stake. One of the battles I face is a dogged demonic belief that I am the exception – that God can bless and perform miracles on behalf of everyone else, but for whatever reason, I’m on the outside looking in. Without a doubt, God can perform miracles. God can bless. God can grant victory. And He has. But when it comes to placing my desires and my goals before Him, I can only cry, “Help me overcome my unbelief!”

That’s half of the problem with setting goals each year. I’ve set the same goals many times, and each year ends with failure. Should I think like this? Of course not, but knowing I shouldn’t doesn’t magically make the thoughts go away. That’s why my prayer requests are about my attitude. Most of the goals, admittedly, are more about my glory than God’s. It would probably be better if I set my goals as eliminating my faulty beliefs, and to learn to walk in His light. Those sound like good, spiritual goals. The problem is that there’s no way to know whether or not you’ve accomplished them.

And the people in Scripture didn’t generally pray for safe, spiritual things. They also didn’t only seek miracles that would properly glorify God because they would properly glorify God. The man in today’s passage probably didn’t have God’s glory in mind at all. He probably didn’t oppose God being glorified through delivering his son, but what he wanted was his son delivered. And Jesus delivered both the son and the father and glorified the Father, too.