IF YOU CAN

Last night in our ladies class, I was teaching about Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  The lesson also included Zechariah.  If you remember, when the angel, Gabriel, came to Mary and told her she would have a Son, she asked the question, "How can this be?"  (Luke 1:34) Mary wasn't asking because she didn't believe the angel. She was asking because she was a virgin.  To her human mind it was impossible.

Zechariah was also told by Gabriel that he and Elizabeth would have a son, John, but Zechariah doubted the angel's words.  He asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this?" (Luke 1:17-19) Because of his doubt and disbelief, he was made unable to speak. Zechariah's doubt was because of he and Elizabeth's old age.  To him, it wasn't possible for this thing to happen, even though the angel of God was telling him it was so.

The last example of the lesson had to do with a father and his son. The son had an evil spirit inside of him.  Let's look at the text:

Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰ 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.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “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.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. Mark 9:19b-26

Jesus asks about the evil spirit in the boy and the father replied, "IF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING".  Isn't this a strange question to ask Jesus, the Son of God?  I love Jesus' response!  "IF YOU CAN?"  Can't you just imagine Jesus saying this to the father?!  Jesus had been doing miracles all around, the people were thronging to Him everywhere he went, and even this father brought his son to him,  but then he doubted.  Jesus then said to the father, "Everything is possible for him who believes".

The father's response is great.  "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!".

What about you?  Do you BELIEVE, but still have UNBELIEF?  This was the point of last night's lesson.  We can believe in God....believe that He is in Heaven.....believe that He is the Creator.....even believe that He sent His Son Jesus to earth to live, die, and be resurrected, but even with all of that "belief", we may still have doubt.  We can believe IN Him, yet not BELIEVE HIM.  See the difference?  To BELIEVE IN God takes faith.  To BELIEVE HIM - that he'll do what He says He will do, to not worry, but give everything to Him, to trust Him to carry out His promises that we read all through His word - that takes deep faith.

If your faith is still asking, "How is this possible?", or saying, "If you can,"......then it's time to to get into the Word and closer to your Father in Heaven. Pray. Meditate on the Word.  Spend time getting to know Him.  Read about Jesus.  Look at how He lived on earth.  Learn to be more like Him.  If you believe, ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief!