13 Reasons To Keep GoingPrøve

WITH GOD, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

“Please, Aslan!” said Lucy. “Can anything be done to save Edmund?”

“All shall be done,” said Aslan. “But it may be harder than you think.” 

– C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard and hopeless. The day his wife gave birth to their son, the day they wrapped him snugly and presented him to their family and friends — on that day, this man’s heart had been full and satisfied. He had been overwhelmed with gratitude to God for the blessing of this baby, amazed to be a father, filled with expectations, hopes, and dreams for his son.

Then something bad happened.

Something evil happened. Something sinister and malevolent. One moment, the boy was fine – a healthy, growing youngster who laughed and played like any other child, a young man with a boundless future. But the next... Without warning, he could no longer speak. He was thrown to the ground by an invisible power, forced into the fire. Foaming at the mouth and shaking, his entire body would go rigid. 

The man’s son was possessed by a spirit. Possessed. How could this happen? And how could the child be set free from this horrible oppression? The disciples couldn’t manage to deliver him.

The father was desperate. “If you can do anything,” he begged Jesus, “take pity on us and help us.”

“’If you can’?” Jesus asked. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

“I do believe,” the father answered. “Help me overcome my unbelief.”

Do you believe Jesus? Do you believe everything is possible? Or have you begun to believe that there are things in your life that can never change? Have you given up on hoping there is an answer, a solution, a way to be healed?

The father didn’t give up. Despite his disappointment, despite his frustration, despite his fear that his son may never be set free, he kept seeking help. And when the disciples themselves couldn’t provide a solution, he looked to Jesus. 

If you’re looking for answers to the frustrating and wearying questions of your life, a salve for the pain, a reason to hope, go to Jesus.

PRAYER: Lord, I don’t understand. It isn’t supposed to be like this. What I do understand is this: You are good and faithful. So I will trust in You and keep asking for You to come into this situation in my life and change it. Do what only you can do in repairing, healing, restoring, resurrecting life.