Trust God because All Things Are Possible with God
And Jesus said to him, “’If you can!’ All things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23).
This exceptional promise has some background (Mark 9:14 – 29). While Jesus was returning from the mountain of transfiguration, many of his disciples were ministering in his absence. A man with a demon-possessed son came seeking healing from Jesus’ disciples. The disciples were not able to heal the boy and this led to a discussion with the Pharisees. When Jesus arrived, the father appealed to Jesus for his son’s healing, saying “If you can… .” Jesus pointed out the father‘s lack of faith when he repeated the “If you can…!” and stated the well-known, “All things are possible for one who believes.”
WOW! All things … Like what things? This “all things” makes sense if you understand that faith in God to do all things is based on items granted to us by His word. These disciples were doing the work of the Lord, so the “all things” were part of Jesus’ commission, and as we see in Matthew’s account of this miracle (Matt. Chapter 17), the disciples could expect that by faith they could do the will of our Lord.
The “all things” we are promised is also determined by the “things” promised in His word. Faith can never go farther than God’s clear promises, and whatever goes beyond God’s word is not faith, but something else which we think is faith. Our most honorable wish list, as selfless as it may be, is not necessarily in God’s plan. But we do know that God’s will and plan for us are good.
As God tells us: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11 ). God tells us that “He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity” (Ps. 84:11).
So, where do we get the faith that can move mountains, as stated in the Matthew 17:20 account of this healing miracle? (“… if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”). The father in this situation recognized the source of faith and asked Jesus to strengthen this faith (Mark 9:24: “I believe; help my unbelief!”). Just as the faith for our salvation is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8), so our faith for God’s provision is a gift.
Do you need more faith? Keep talking to Jesus, the source of our faith, as we are told in Hebrews 12:2: “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” Do you need a faith aligned with God’s will? Keep reading His word because we know that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Do you have doubts? Honest doubts mean you are engaging your faith. Have an honest conversation with Jesus about that. Keep talking to God — He is at work, he is in control, and we know “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).
—Andy Nordquist