After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:28-29.

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 96: His acquaintances fled from Him. Psalm 31:11: Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. And, Mark 14:50: And they all left Him and fled.

In the first Scripture verse cited above, the disciples couldn’t understand why they couldn’t drive out the demon from that boy when they had driven out demons before when Jesus sent them out to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. In My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers today, it talked about before that event when they were with Jesus on the mountain. “In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith…”They were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus” (Mark 9:8; also see verses 2-7).” Seeing Jesus transfigured and with Elijah and Moses, they were terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son – listen to Him!” All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone, v. 9.

And today in You Are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen: “The world in which we live today and about whose suffering we know so much seems more than ever a world from which Christ has withdrawn Himself. How can I believe that in this world we are constantly being prepared to receive the Spirit? Still, I think that this is exactly the message of hope. God has not withdrawn Himself. He sent His son to share our human condition and the Son sent us His Spirit to lead us into the intimacy of His divine life. It is in the midst of the chaotic suffering of humanity that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love, makes Himself visible. But can we recognize His presence?”

This kind can only come out by prayer. Jesus continually withdrew to pray to the Father. And it’s in prayer that we draw near to God. As we draw near in prayer, we get to that sacred place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus”. This is My beloved Son – listen to Him!

***Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983).***