WEEK 8: MONDAY NOVEMBER 2
SILENCE, STILLNESS, AND CENTERING BEFORE GOD:
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few minutes in silence, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
READ:
Let your mind settle. Silently read the Scripture for this week: Mark 9.
ASK:
Read the Scripture again, this time aloud. Listen for a word, phrase, or section that grabs your attention. Write down any questions about the passage that you have. When you finish, close your eyes. Recall the word or phrase, taking it in and mulling it over. Write down what comes to mind.
REFLECT:
Jesus lets Peter, James, and John see beyond the curtain of a physical reality, and into God’s reality—the truest reality. Their eyes ‘became open’; this is a common theme in the Gospel of Mark. Are their moments or experiences in your life where God seems to ‘open your eyes’ to reveal or show you part of who He is/God’s reality—the truest reality?
After coming down from the mountain, Mark lets us know that the apprentices of Jesus—the disciples—were unable to cast out a demon in a young boy. If we take a step back to look at the larger narrative, Jesus is now on His way to Jerusalem to die. Things are now getting harder, and Jesus is inviting us to join him. The father in the story responds to Jesus, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Seasons and situations often are hard as we follow Jesus, and many times this is our prayer, “I trust you God, but help me trust you!” Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate what this means. Have there been moments in your life when you have prayed this prayer? Reflect on how God answered you and meet you.
Most scholars and pastors agree that Jesus is not being literal about harming/cutting off the parts of us that sin. They refer to the different parts of our humanity, similar to our personality, that cause us to sin. Jesus is warning us that these ‘parts’ if left unchecked and not dealt with lead to destruction. Jesus is warning us of the destructive power of sin in our lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you and partner with you in healing parts of you that need healing.
PRAY:
Read the Scripture one last time, then stop and listen for who Jesus is inviting you to become or what He is inviting you to do this week. Write down what comes to mind.
Talk with Jesus about it.
PRACTICE:
Praying Through Doubt
In this week's prayer practice, we are going to practice praying through our doubts. In Mark 9 we read a story of Jesus freeing a young boy from an evil spirit. Prior to this, the boy’s father says to Jesus “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us,” in which Jesus replies, “If you can? Everything is possible for the one who believes.” The father of the son replies to Jesus, saying, “I do believe, help my unbelief”. Many of us have areas in our life where we doubt that God can redeem them and bring them back to life, but Jesus tells us in Mark 9 that ANYTHING is possible. Let’s walk through a guided prayer time of praying through our doubts:
Take a second to get into a comfortable position and acknowledge God’s presence with you.
Allow the Holy spirit to reveal an area in your life where you have possibly given up on God being able to redeem, heal, and/or restore.
Pray this prayer “Jesus, forgive me for my unbelief, and help me to believe”
Take some time to think through all the times that God has been faithful to you and how he has taken care of you.
Begin to thank Him for His faithfulness, and continue to pray for breakthrough in this specific area of your life.
As a follow up, it is always a good idea to write this prayer request down (sticky note, paper) and put it on your laptop, your mirror, your car, etc. That way whenever you see it you will be reminded to keep praying until you see breakthrough.