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.”

Of all the varied physical difficulties that Jesus encountered in His Life here on the earth, this has to be at or near to the top! There were multiple diseases that Jesus encountered; yet, each malady was confronted with faith as the healer.

There was always a crowd. We encounter multiple crowds today. The difference, however, is that the crowds Jesus encountered were due to His miraculous curing of maladies that were all but unknown at that time.

The crowd had evidently called upon Jesus’ disciples for help for the boy, but they were totally unable to help him. When Jesus arrived, He chided His disciples along with the people for their lack of faith. He called them an “unbelieving generation,” but said, “Bring him to Me!”

Yet, when the boy saw Jesus, the evil spirit within him “threw him into a convulsion” and caused the boy to fall down and roll groaning on the ground. At that point, Jesus asked the boy’s father how long all of this had been happening to the boy. The boy’s father responded: “…from childhood.” The he said, “…if You can do anything…help us.”

Jesus’ response was terse. “’If You can? All things are possible to him who believes.” It stirred the father’s heart! –so much, in fact, that he cried out: “I do believe; help my unbelief.” In effect, he meant he was trying to believe as much as he could; but, he needed the LORD’s help to believe completely!

How like that father we all are! “Can the LORD do everything we need?”

“Of course, He can,” we say, I just hope He will. And it’s that “hope” that emasculates the belief for which the LORD was looking! That boy’s father needed to believe, not just hope! Our needs must be thoroughly soaked in belief. True belief is absolute trust that the LORD will provide precisely what we need. “’All things” are possible to him who believes.’”

What are your needs? How much do you trust the LORD to
provide them? How much do you pray? Do you always pray in
faith? Faith is the heart of all prayer! “All things are possible to
him who believes.”

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