A pastor in Romania, where I’m based this month, taught from Mark 9 last Sunday. One point of the sermon that really stood out to me was the part where the disciples were not able to cast the demon out of a possessed boy (Mark 9:14-29).
I have heard it taught that it was the disciples who didn’t have enough faith to cast out the demons; but the pastor suggested that perhaps it was not that at all. Luke 9:1 tells us that Jesus gave the disciples … power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. And then when the disciples returned they rejoiced that … even the demons obey us when we use Your name!” (Luke 10:17). So it seems that they indeed had power to heal the boy. Even Jesus Himself was not able to do any miracles in Nazareth … because of their [the citizens’] lack of faith. (Mark 6:5)
I think that it wasn’t the disciples who lacked faith. I think it was the lack of believing faith in those they were ministering to that caused the disciples to not be able to cast out the demon from the boy.
We find the famous passage in Mark 9:23-29 where the father asks Jesus to heal his son if Jesus is able to. Jesus says, “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?”… “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Later the disciples asked Jesus why they weren’t able to cast out the demon and Jesus replies, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).”
It seems that Jesus is saying that some things won’t be changed with a simple prayer here and there, or by adjusting our strategies or working harder or finding better methods—there are some situations where seasons of persistent prayer is needed to break strongholds that Satan holds.
Many places in this region are definitely considered ‘hard-soil’ areas. We examine our hearts, our strategies, our approaches and our materials to see if any of these things may be the reason we don’t see many people respond to the gospel – and this is a wise thing to do from time to time. Yet, we must recognize the need for persevering prayer in asking God to soften the hearts of those who continually refuse to believe. It doesn’t always mean that the fault is ours when we see few results in ministry. Sometimes it’s because of the lack of desire to believe on the part of the lost. Ministry in some areas call for extraordinary prayer against the spiritual battle for men’s and women’s souls.
God wants us to recognize our dependence on Him so that His glory will be displayed before the world. Sometimes He places us in areas where the soil needs to be amended [improve the fertility of soil before the seed is planted] by longer seasons of preparation through prayer.
Let us as laborers be committed to frequently set aside our plans and strategies in order to spend time in the kind of prayer that will move the mountains of unbelief and soften the hard hearts in our field. Let us pray that lost souls here will long to believe in God. Let’s pray for faith as a grain of mustard seed to be planted in the hearts of the unbelieving here that will grow into towering oaks of righteousness!
Questions to Consider:
How do you know when the lack of response to the gospel is because of strategies or methods you are using and when it simply is hardness of heart of the people you are ministering to?
Please comment below how your team makes this kind of sustained, fervent prayer a priority and share ideas of how you do it…(and share with us how you have seen God change hearts).
Reflect on how the following quotes encourage you to sustain fervent prayer for the lost in your scope:
‘… a determined foe [enemy] must be met with an equally determined faith.’ (Unknown)
“Christ, who in [prayer] as well as other things is our Example, spent many whole nights in prayer. His custom was to pray much. He had His habitual place to pray. Many long seasons of praying make up His history and character. Paul prayed day and night. It took time from very important interests for Daniel to pray three times a day. David’s morning, noon, and night praying were doubtless on many occasions very protracted [long]. While we have no specific account of the time these Bible saints spent in prayer, yet the indications are that they consumed much time in prayer, and, on some occasions, long seasons of praying was their custom.” (EM Bounds)
“Prayer has always been the precursor to revival. If we commit ourselves to prayer, there is no limit to what we can see God do. Genesis 32:26 gives us Jacob’s instructive prayer to God: I will not let You go unless You bless me. This is the kind of fervency and persistence that needs to characterize our prayers. Jacob was saying, ‘You can’t make it rough enough for me to stop. I am holding on until You fulfill Your promises.’” (Dan Hayes: a Cru staff member who wrote a powerful book called, Fireseeds of Spiritual Awakening – check out his chapter on The Power of Fervent Prayer.)
Passages to Ponder:
Luke 18:1-8
James 5:16-18 (1 Kings 17:1-19:8, especially 18:41-19:8)
Genesis 32
Daniel 10 (particularly vv. 3, 112-14)
As you pray for the lost, keep these verses in mind: 2 Timothy 2:26, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 1:13, 1 John 4:4, John 16:33, etc.