One of the great joys of parenting is causing your infant to belly laugh. It’s exciting to discover just the right move to make them laugh again and again. Being so proud you call for your spouse to witness the moment. And when they come in you try it again with glee only to encounter no response; the infant is not amused anymore. You’re bummed and your spouse missed out. It’s frustrating when something that worked before all of a sudden stops working. Jesus’ disciples encountered this feeling.

In Mark 9:14–29 Jesus returns from an incredible moment of transfiguring before select disciples only to find the rest of his disciples in dispute with the scribes. A boy was brought to the disciples who had a mute spirit. The spirit would throw him down and cause him to foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth, and become paralyzed; poor boy! The disciples could not cast this demon out. You can imagine their confusion as they had done this before with the authority Jesus gave them (Mark 6:13). Nevertheless, Jesus casts this demon out and commands him to never enter the boy again thus demonstrating once again His incredible power.

Later the disciples ask Jesus privately why they were not able to cast out the demon. Jesus responded, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”¹ The disciples seem to have run into an issue of self-reliance. Why could “we” not cast it out they asked? Could it be that they became so used to success that they forgot who really was the one doing the casting out? Did they forget whose power was doing the work? Mark Strauss says, “Their problem was that their past successes had given them confidence in their own abilities. Jesus calls them to more prayer, that is, greater dependence on God, who alone has authority over the forces of evil. The disciples’ authority to cast out demons was always mediated authority; they are Jesus’ representatives acting in his power.”²

As we walk with God and serve Him, let us grow in greater dependence upon Him, especially through prayer. Prayer is a grace given to us whereby we may rely on God and trust in His power for ministry and life. We may plant and water seeds, but God is the one who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:6–7).