Day 119: Mark 9:14–18

I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t (v. 18).

We are often empowered to do far more than we exercise. In Luke 9:1 we read that Jesus gave the disciples “power and authority to drive out all demons.” Had He taken it back? No, they still possessed the power but were unable to exercise it for some reason. What in the world happened to disable them? Let’s explore a couple of possibilities.

1. Their most positive influences were absent. Keep in mind that not only was Christ out of sight, but so were the three leaders of the disciples. In moments like these, we learn where our confidence is. If we have boldness when certain empowered believers are close by, but we lose it in their absence, could it be that we’ve been sipping out of their power shaker of faith instead of filling our own? We’ll never discover our strengths in the power of God if we keep drawing off another’s.

2. Their strongest negative influences were present. The presence of the teachers of the law must have been terribly intimidating to these comparatively uneducated men. You and I aren’t always surrounded by faith-encouragers either. But we can’t afford to wait for all the atmospheric conditions to be right before we act on the power of God. In fact, I think God is teaching us that the worst conditions can often provide the best atmosphere to act in faith. He doesn’t want our confidence regulated by our audience. If faith-discouragers can shake our confidence badly enough to disable us, our confidence may be in ourselves instead of God.

I remember a time when a critical letter from a seminary graduate shook my confidence. As I read the list of mistakes she was pointing out, I started thinking, “She’s right! What in the world do I think I’m doing? I have no formal theological education. I shouldn’t even be doing this!” But God reminded me during the following days that I was exactly right: I shouldn’t be doing this. This ministry is God’s. If my confidence is in myself, I’m in big trouble. God also assured me that I will always make mistakes, but they will serve as reminders to my readers never to think more highly of this teacher than they ought. Only One can be taken at His every word.