“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive [the evil spirit] out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer.’”
Mark 9:28-29
As a stroke survivor, I have come to see suffering as part of a cosmic battle between God and Satan.
The desperate father in Mark 9 brought his demon-oppressed son to Jesus to be healed. The disciples were unable to cast out the demon, but Jesus stepped in and did just that. When the disciples asked Jesus privately why they could not do it, His response may have startled them.
Did the disciples neglect to pray to cast out the demon? Did they not pray enough? Were they failing to live a life of continuous prayer? They may have taken for granted the power given to them, or forgotten altogether that the One behind that power was standing right there in their midst.
Whatever the shortcoming was, this story highlights that prayer is part of the cosmic battle Paul describes in Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Yet Jesus, the One who conquered Satan, is here in our midst!
The desperate father in Mark 9 brought his demon-oppressed son to Jesus to be healed. The disciples were unable to cast out the demon, but Jesus stepped in and did just that. When the disciples asked Jesus privately why they could not do it, His response may have startled them.
Did the disciples neglect to pray to cast out the demon? Did they not pray enough? Were they failing to live a life of continuous prayer? They may have taken for granted the power given to them, or forgotten altogether that the One behind that power was standing right there in their midst.
Whatever the shortcoming was, this story highlights that prayer is part of the cosmic battle Paul describes in Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Yet Jesus, the One who conquered Satan, is here in our midst!
Scripture Focus
Ephesians 6:10-13
Insight
Our prayers are part of a cosmic battle, a battle God has won through our Lord Jesus Christ! (see 1 Corinthians 15:57)
Bible In A Year
- Deuteronomy 19-20
- Psalm 89
- Acts 13
