The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 9:17-24, “And one of the crowd answered Him, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.’
19 And He answered them and said, ‘O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!’
20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
21 And He asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood.
22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!’
23 And Jesus said to him, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.’
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief.’”

Having difficulty of any sort is hardly a unique experience. You and I have stood in that “difficult line” on many occasions. Yet, when others have been unable to understand and even remove the “difficult” from the situation, we generally suppose that if others cannot solve the problem, we won’t be able to do it, either.

This is precisely what occurred in the verses above. A loving, well-intentioned father had a son posssessed of a demon-spirit that troubled the boy, prohibited him from speaking, and even motivated him to take his own life. The boy’s father did what most loving fathers would have done: he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples for healing; but they were totally unable to help the boy.

When Jesus arrived upon the scene, the father gave Jesus the background of the boy’s situation and said, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Jesus responded to the father, saying, “If You can? All things are possible to him who believes” –to which the father replied, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

I trust that you will find this experience in your Bible and read the entire account. Whatever you may be currently encountering, Jesus is the answer! His answers are not always immediate. This one was not. We just have to be desperate and full of trust in Jesus! I have some lost friends for whom I have been praying for years! They are still lost. I have some sick friends for whom I have been praying daily as well. I pray daily for my family and for myself.

Some of my prayers have been answered; some are still awaiting the LORD’s reply. Just don’t give up! Your prayers may seem to lie dormant. Maybe He is waiting to see how serious you are. Just don’t give up praying! The LORD’s response is our only hope!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom