And off run the demons!

Just wantin' to share what I learned from scripture and prayer this morning. The scripture is from Mark 9 and its about a father who has a son who is demon possessed, frothing at the mouth, thrashing all around that kind of thing and the disciples have no power to cast it out. When Jesus comes on the scene the disciple were engaged with the teachers of the law about the situation. Of course its all talk as the teachers had no more power than the disciples did. Jesus asked about what they have been talking about the father told the story and then said "I asked the disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

Jesus is maybe tired from the journey down the mountain (right after the transfiguration) pretty much frustrated with them all. He rebukes them and then demands for them to bring the boy to Him. This is the background and here is Mark telling the rest of the story.

Mark 9:21-29

21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"
And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Jesus said to him, "If* you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer *and fasting."

Here is the thing that struck me ... Jesus doesn't pray here yet he said "This kind only comes out by prayer." I've read this probably 100 times and never saw this! He doesn't go off to the mountainside for a day of prayer, call up the prayer team or anything like this. He just stands and delivers ... And off run the demons!

Now one can saw you know that was because he was God. But elsewhere it says he was fully human. (Phillipains 2, Hebrews 2:17, 4:15) So to me the question becomes why didn't he pray?

I think what happens (And I can tend to do this) is that we as Christians bog down in bickering on occasion, why this or that, this church is to liberal or right wing or whatever. And this can make us rather helpless in the face of crisis ... A desperate Mom who's faith is about gone, rather eroded by doctors, psychologists or even Pastors trying with all they got to do something ... And nothing gets done ...

Jesus says it only comes out by prayer and what I think it means is our lives have to be continuously be in prayer. A person doesn't run marathons without training. And we can't meet the brokenness of the world head on without our lives bathed in prayer. How one lives as a private person is intimately bound into the work ... To be able to stand and deliver when things are going down we have top be in prayer before we get on with our lives when we get up ... And beyond!

Its all about Jesus really is it not? We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people premission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, one by one, our presence automatically liberates others. And off run the demons!