Daily Devotional for February 4

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February 4                                                           Mark 9:14-29

      "...'Why could we not cast [the demon] out?' And he
         said to them, 'This kind cannot be driven out by
                              anything but prayer.' "

When the disciples cannot cast out a demon, Jesus tells them
they need to understand the power of prayer. Surely they
prayed, but perhaps, like us, they prayed out of habit. So often
prayer can become an empty form we use out of habit.
However, if we are growing in Christ, our prayer life will
expand to meet the greater needs which we face in life.

In today's Gospel, the disciples face a sickness they cannot
heal. The power afforded them by their spiritual lives is not
enough to cast out the demon in question. Jesus says to them
that only prayer can work in this case. The response of Jesus
becomes a challenge not only to the disciples of his day, but
also to us.

Does our prayer life contain the power to heal? Jesus indicates
that only prayer offers this power. For many modern Chris-
tians, prayer is used to discuss with God our wants and our
spiritual state and our emotional needs. When it comes to
physical needs, we have become used to going to the doctor.
What then do we do when the doctor can offer no healing?
What do we do when medicine says that a disease is incurable?
Such an illness can only be cured by prayer.

If Jesus prescribed prayer when nothing else worked, would
he not prescribe the same today? Prayer leads us into truth,
truth imparts spiritual power to its bearer, and spiritual power
makes healing possible.

              My God, life sometimes seems so filled with
           sickness and despair. Wherever I turn I see the
      need for healing. So much sickness makes me afraid.
       Help me now to stop and turn toward you. I want my
           prayer to be healing for me and others. I want
                your power to be manifest in my praying.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C