“This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
(Mark 9:29)
The apostles were given the special ability to perform miracles – something that we Christians today do not have and we can at times, through our lack, believe that if we could do what those men could (heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, etc.) then we certainly would need nothing else to reach the pinnacles of faith. Miracles would make life so much simpler and faith easier.
Mark 9:29 proves that notion wrong though. The apostles were unable to cast out this particular evil spirit because they had not been prayerful enough. Miraculous abilities are no replacement for prayer and fasting. Instead, these men, just like us, needed to pray more to grow stronger.
James tells us that a prayerful man can make a great impact in this world (see James 5:16). Those words are as true today as they were in the first-century. What would the world look like if we all prayed more and more specifically as we faced the big challenges of life? What would our faith look like if we spent more time on our knees and less time wishing we had the gifts, abilities, or opportunities that others had?
We may not be apostles with miraculous gifts – but we can pray just like them and the same God that gave them strength will do likewise for us.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites