Entering Into Prayer

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Mark 9:14-29

The narrative before us finds the Savior with a father who has a son who is possessed by a spirit that convulsed him and threatened him with bodily harm. This father brought his son to the disciples, who were unable to do anything. Therefore, in an act of last resort, the man appealed to Christ for help. As he did so, he indicates a certain level of uncertainty as to the ability of Christ to resolve the problem. Jesus, noticing the father's lack of belief, encourages him by saying that "all things are possible for one who believes." The father admitted his belief that was mingled with unbelief, and at that, Jesus healed the boy.

Too often, our prayer life looks like this father. We know we should pray, and we know the theological reasons for doing so, but often our prayers are faithless. Like the man, we know the power of prayer at some level, but, at another level, our faith is woefully weak. McKim writes, "This summarizes the attitude we sometimes have about prayer. We don't know - for certain! - whether prayer is worthwhile and whether it will help or benefit us. Is prayer worth the effort? Calvin adds, "The first foundation of faith is to embrace the infinite power of God. The first entry into prayers is to rise above all obstacles so that we are firmly convinced that our praying will not be in vain." (82). We must be convinced in our minds that the God who invites us to pray can overcome any issue. We must know that our God, who is infinite in power, is the one we can cast all of our cares knowing that he is able.