Prayer - more than a weekly event - Mark 9, 10

2012 - Do you pray for your children?  Everyone would be concerned if their son, like the one here in Mark 9, was possessed by a demon.   The demon, from childhood we are told, would toss the boy into both flame and lake to destroy the youngster.  What parent wouldn't burst forth with prayer or supplication to have the boy healed and saved?   The father brought the boy to Jesus but finding only the disciples he asked for help.  Ammeters in prayer and matters of faith, the disciples could not cast the demon out.  We are not told what they tried to do.  We can only imagine the waves of the hands and the pitch of the voice as they called down upon God's favor.   We can only imagine the laughs in the crowd and the down-cast father when nothing happened.  Maybe the demon, through a young boys voice, laughed them to scorn.    After Christ solves the problem through the power given to Him from His Father, the disciples want to know "how to do it" themselves.  They are looking for, "The Miracle Book for Dummies" version.   Christ uses this as teaching moment to show them that miracles and prayer have a direct correlation.     The advent of power in our lives comes from the avenue of prayer.   We dismiss prayer as a "Sunday Worship Activity" when in reality it is the source we have to express our faith to God (9:27).   Faith is expressed in prayer.   If we want God to do great work in our children's lives we have to be willing to take our children to God in prayer.   But, let's remember, Jesus is talking to the disciples here and not to the father.  The father only had to believe.  The disciples, ministers of God and for Christ, needed to be in prayer.   To assist others those wanting to be used by God need to be in prayer to find the power and strength to accomplish God's purpose and Christ's mission.  Prayer is the central tool of all those who want to serve Christ.  Don't diminish it to a weekly event.  It needs to be an hourly function.