If You Can

Observe. Jesus asks the father how long this has been happening. Since childhood, the man says, and then adds a plea: if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. Jesus repeats his words back. If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.

Interpret. The father has put a condition on Jesus. Jesus moves the condition. The question is not whether Jesus is able; the question is whether the man will trust him. Yet the passage does not make faith into a work. When the man admits his faith is mixed, Jesus does not lecture him. He acts. The believing is required and the believing is also helped. That is grace working from both sides.

Apply. Many of our prayers carry a quiet 'if you can'. We hedge because we have been disappointed before. This story permits the hedge to be spoken aloud and then answered. Faith does not mean pretending to a certainty you lack. It means bringing what you have to the one who can supply the rest.

What condition have you been placing on God without noticing? And when you pray, could you say plainly both that you believe and that you need help?