And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
The father of a youth tormented by a dumb spirit that threw him into fire and water sought deliverance for his son, and with tears admitted his weak, doubting belief while asking Christ for help where belief was lacking. After years of suffering and the disciples' failure to cast the spirit out had left him discouraged and fearing Jesus might not be able, Jesus' appeal to believe kindled hope, and Christ drove the spirit out and restored the child freed forever to his father. The healing did not fail for lack of power in Christ but waited on the father's faith, and by placing himself and his son wholly on Christ's mercy he received help. Helpless, sin-burdened people who feel unworthy and weak in faith are to bring both faith and doubt to Christ at once rather than staying away until they feel they have enough faith, acting in will on the light already given while the Holy Spirit supplies further light and strength. Doubts that weaken the soul should be faced without delay and brought to the Lord in prayer in the light of God's Word, asking Him to remove unbelief while trusting that He hears and answers.
Story and Sense
The cry belongs to the account of a father seeking deliverance for his son, a youth tormented by a dumb, unclean spirit that often threw him into fire and water to destroy him. Jesus healed him by driving the spirit out and freeing him forever from the demon's power. The disciples had been given authority to cast out spirits, but in this case they failed, bringing disappointment and public humiliation. After years of his son's suffering and this failure, the father was discouraged and feared Jesus might not be able to help, until Jesus' appeal to believe kindled hope.
The cry takes place in sharp contrast between glory and grief, a brief space after Jesus was transfigured by God's glory on the mount, talked with messengers of heaven, and was proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice out of radiant glory. Coming down, He met a lunatic child with distorted countenance, gnashing his teeth in spasms of agony no mortal could relieve, a victim of Satan wallowing on the ground. The mighty Redeemer who had stood glorified only hours before stooped to lift the wallowing, afflicted child from the ground and restored him to his father, freed forever from the demon's power. The account is Mark 9:9-29, told also in Matthew 17:9-21 and Luke 9:37-45.
The healing represents redemption, in which the Divine One stoops to save the lost. It also shows the disciples' mission: people enslaved by Satan await the word of faith and prayer to set them free. Faith and prayer are the means by which those enslaved by Satan may be set free. The bringing of the demon-possessed child involved severe conflicts and trials, an ordeal distinct from Martha's situation, who need not assume she must endure such struggles before she can come to Christ.
Weak Faith Helped
The cry is real, sincere belief held together with weakness, doubt and unbelief, spoken with tears by one who admits his lack and leans on the merciful Saviour alone while asking for help where belief falls short. Discouraged by years of his son's suffering and by the disciples' failure, the father feared help might be beyond reach, until the appeal to believe kindled hope and he relied on Christ while confessing his need for greater faith. That trusting struggle itself may be brought to the Lord in prayer, with doubts faced without delay, examined in the light of God's Word and talked over with Jesus while holding to His promises, rather than left to undermine faith or voiced so as to cause another to stumble.
The child's healing turns not on any lack of power in Christ but on the father's faith, for Christ is fully able and the issue is trust. By admitting weakness and placing himself and his son wholly on Christ's mercy, the father receives help, Jesus drives out the demon and fully restores the son, and father and son praise their Deliverer. Faith in this way connects the soul with heaven and brings strength against the powers of darkness.
That heavenly connection gives strength to resist temptation and to overcome sinful traits through the means God has provided in Christ. Those who come to Christ relying on His promise need not perish, and those who come to Him are not cast out. Freedom in Christ does not come from waiting for more light or evidence, for abundant evidence alone does not make a person free.
Freedom comes through the soul's will and effort to act on the light already given and to depend on divine power, by actively exercising will and energies to trust God. The cry itself is that earnest choice to trust, not a demand for further proof. As the person so acts, the Holy Spirit supplies further light and strength and works with that resolve, strengthening and enlightening the soul, but does not replace the individual exercise of faith.
So sin-burdened, helpless people who feel unworthy, weak in faith and lacking are to bring both faith and doubt to Christ at once. They are to trust His mercy and grace to pardon sin and to endure tribulation, rather than staying away, waiting until they feel they have enough faith, or relying on themselves. It is words for relying on Jesus rather than on oneself, asking Him to strengthen the faith already possessed.
Living the Prayer
The cry supplies the very words for asking God to take away unbelief while trusting that He hears and answers prayer. It is not enough to believe that Christ saves others; each person must trust Him as his own Redeemer. The one who still doubts can seek rest in Jesus while asking for help with what of doubt remains.
Doubts that weaken the soul are to be faced without delay, examined in the light of God's Word, and talked over with Jesus while holding fast to His promises. They are to be brought to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to remove them, rather than left to undermine faith. Nor are they to be voiced in ways that might cause another to stumble.
The cry is a prayer of helpless dependence, made by one who comes to Christ in living, active faith while admitting that faith is weak and asking the Lord to help unbelief. It seeks Christ's divine power through that living, active faith for help to study His life of self-denial and self-sacrifice and to become a Christian in every sense. As a continuing prayer it asks for the Holy Spirit's power, and for strength, wisdom, grace, instruction, guidance, and light, while seeking God and working. Believers are to keep their minds upon what they have prayed for, with continued, living faith rather than dependence on another person's spiritual experience or on their own understanding.
The father of a youth tormented by a dumb spirit that threw him into fire and water sought deliverance for his son, and with tears admitted his weak, doubting belief while asking Christ for help where belief was lacking. After years of suffering and the disciples' failure to cast the spirit out had left him discouraged and fearing Jesus might not be able, Jesus' appeal to believe kindled hope, and Christ drove the spirit out and restored the child freed forever to his father. The healing did not fail for lack of power in Christ but waited on the father's faith, and by placing himself and his son wholly on Christ's mercy he received help. Helpless, sin-burdened people who feel unworthy and weak in faith are to bring both faith and doubt to Christ at once rather than staying away until they feel they have enough faith, acting in will on the light already given while the Holy Spirit supplies further light and strength. Doubts that weaken the soul should be faced without delay and brought to the Lord in prayer in the light of God's Word, asking Him to remove unbelief while trusting that He hears and answers.
Story and Sense
The cry belongs to the account of a father seeking deliverance for his son, a youth tormented by a dumb, unclean spirit that often threw him into fire and water to destroy him. Jesus healed him by driving the spirit out and freeing him forever from the demon's power. The disciples had been given authority to cast out spirits, but in this case they failed, bringing disappointment and public humiliation. After years of his son's suffering and this failure, the father was discouraged and feared Jesus might not be able to help, until Jesus' appeal to believe kindled hope.
The cry takes place in sharp contrast between glory and grief, a brief space after Jesus was transfigured by God's glory on the mount, talked with messengers of heaven, and was proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice out of radiant glory. Coming down, He met a lunatic child with distorted countenance, gnashing his teeth in spasms of agony no mortal could relieve, a victim of Satan wallowing on the ground. The mighty Redeemer who had stood glorified only hours before stooped to lift the wallowing, afflicted child from the ground and restored him to his father, freed forever from the demon's power. The account is Mark 9:9-29, told also in Matthew 17:9-21 and Luke 9:37-45.
The healing represents redemption, in which the Divine One stoops to save the lost. It also shows the disciples' mission: people enslaved by Satan await the word of faith and prayer to set them free. Faith and prayer are the means by which those enslaved by Satan may be set free. The bringing of the demon-possessed child involved severe conflicts and trials, an ordeal distinct from Martha's situation, who need not assume she must endure such struggles before she can come to Christ.
Weak Faith Helped
The cry is real, sincere belief held together with weakness, doubt and unbelief, spoken with tears by one who admits his lack and leans on the merciful Saviour alone while asking for help where belief falls short. Discouraged by years of his son's suffering and by the disciples' failure, the father feared help might be beyond reach, until the appeal to believe kindled hope and he relied on Christ while confessing his need for greater faith. That trusting struggle itself may be brought to the Lord in prayer, with doubts faced without delay, examined in the light of God's Word and talked over with Jesus while holding to His promises, rather than left to undermine faith or voiced so as to cause another to stumble.
The child's healing turns not on any lack of power in Christ but on the father's faith, for Christ is fully able and the issue is trust. By admitting weakness and placing himself and his son wholly on Christ's mercy, the father receives help, Jesus drives out the demon and fully restores the son, and father and son praise their Deliverer. Faith in this way connects the soul with heaven and brings strength against the powers of darkness.
That heavenly connection gives strength to resist temptation and to overcome sinful traits through the means God has provided in Christ. Those who come to Christ relying on His promise need not perish, and those who come to Him are not cast out. Freedom in Christ does not come from waiting for more light or evidence, for abundant evidence alone does not make a person free.
Freedom comes through the soul's will and effort to act on the light already given and to depend on divine power, by actively exercising will and energies to trust God. The cry itself is that earnest choice to trust, not a demand for further proof. As the person so acts, the Holy Spirit supplies further light and strength and works with that resolve, strengthening and enlightening the soul, but does not replace the individual exercise of faith.
So sin-burdened, helpless people who feel unworthy, weak in faith and lacking are to bring both faith and doubt to Christ at once. They are to trust His mercy and grace to pardon sin and to endure tribulation, rather than staying away, waiting until they feel they have enough faith, or relying on themselves. It is words for relying on Jesus rather than on oneself, asking Him to strengthen the faith already possessed.
Living the Prayer
The cry supplies the very words for asking God to take away unbelief while trusting that He hears and answers prayer. It is not enough to believe that Christ saves others; each person must trust Him as his own Redeemer. The one who still doubts can seek rest in Jesus while asking for help with what of doubt remains.
Doubts that weaken the soul are to be faced without delay, examined in the light of God's Word, and talked over with Jesus while holding fast to His promises. They are to be brought to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to remove them, rather than left to undermine faith. Nor are they to be voiced in ways that might cause another to stumble.
The cry is a prayer of helpless dependence, made by one who comes to Christ in living, active faith while admitting that faith is weak and asking the Lord to help unbelief. It seeks Christ's divine power through that living, active faith for help to study His life of self-denial and self-sacrifice and to become a Christian in every sense. As a continuing prayer it asks for the Holy Spirit's power, and for strength, wisdom, grace, instruction, guidance, and light, while seeking God and working. Believers are to keep their minds upon what they have prayed for, with continued, living faith rather than dependence on another person's spiritual experience or on their own understanding.