Day Thirty-Four
DAY THIRTY FOUR
Today I want to talk to you about what happens when the sovereignty of God intersects human responsibility. How does it all work together? What part does God play and what part is ours?
There’s a story in Mark 9 and Luke 9 that introduces something profound.
It’s the story of the man whose son was demon possessed, he had brought his son to the disciples but they were unable to heal him. He appeals to Jesus and says, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
Jesus reply is correcting his perspective and approach to asking for a miracle.
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
This statement brings together the sovereign side of God, who does the healing and miracles and whose power is limitless and suddenly shifts the focus and the responsibility to man. This is the collision of the sovereign nature of God who can do miracles and the responsibility for man to believe that God can perform the miracle.
There is mantra that has taken the world by storm. It’s the mantra of the Fatalist. The one who believes in the absolute sovereignty if not of God, of a higher power, of the earth, or the cosmos. Some call it Karma, some call it sowing and reaping, it’s the catholic version of God’s sovereignty where we are just pawns in the divine game of chess. It concludes that we have no say, no rights, and no power to be part of the solution to our problems. It’s the, ‘whatever will be will be’ attitude to life; it’s the I can’t do anything to change the outcome. It’s the mantra of ‘it was meant to happen’. There has come a passive acceptance of life in all its forms. I hear it more now than ever and it’s an anathema to the believer.
“IF YOU CAN….?” The man doesn’t know if Jesus can.
Jesus mirrors the man’s desperate cry for help with a ‘what do you mean if I can……the question is if you can believe then nothing will be impossible.’ How many of us aren’t really sure He can? And like the dad in this story, you do believe, kind of, but you need God to help your unbelief. It’s ok if you are, if you do something about it.
When Jesus said ‘IF YOU CAN’ he introduced this incredible concept, which puts into the hands of man, the ability to work in partnership with Almighty God, to determine the outcomes of life. This man’s life was filled with challenge. His family was filled with crisis; his child was bewitched by an evil spirit. And this was how it was going to be, because this is how it had always been there was no possibility for a change. But Jesus introduces into the sovereignty of God theology, a radical idea that men can change things BY FAITH. This is the heart of Christianity. When Jesus said,…..IF YOU CAN!!!! He was saying its possible, anything is possible. I can see a change. It brings up the idea that I have to do something. It brings up the idea that I have a part to play in the process I’m a player. I am a partner. I am someone who’s relevant to the program someone who’s relevant to the outcome, and that my prayer. And in particular, my faith can make a difference to the outcome of something that seems so hopeless and helpless
This is a rallying cry to every person with a problem, every person facing an issue that is bigger than you, and that this is not how it has to be. This man did not have to just put up with what was happening in his life. If you can Jesus said, believe because all things are possible to those that believe.
Scripture to meditate on: Luke 9:14- 27