March 25th, 2026
Wednesday, March 25
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
~Mark 9:21-24
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
~Mark 9:21-24
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God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. G-R-A-C-E. This is one attempt to package grace into a simple, memorable, even marketable Christian phrase. I learned it back in the late 1980s in youth group. There are others. Some are neat attempts to define grace in a catchy phrase, sometimes in contrast to “works,” or “mercy,” or “judgment.” I’ve come to learn that we shouldn’t do this. Sometimes the attempt to simplify things is good and helpful. Other times it can be unintentionally misleading.
The trouble is that these simplified phrases can communicate the illusion that we’ve “got it.” Even if we know we don’t, catchy phrases like this feed the sense that we can capture what God’s grace is all about. Before long, we’re more committed to the simplified phrase than to being drawn in more deeply to experience the reality of grace.
God’s grace resists. One theme running through these Lent reflections might be that Lent reminds us that much about God, the gospel, the cross, and God’s love is well beyond our capacity to understand. We’re mortal. Our vision is too small. Our interpretations of Scripture are too narrow and limited. We see through a glass darkly.
This doesn’t mean we throw up our hands, saying, “What’s the use? Why even try?” The sentiment is not wrongheaded. But, as Peter says to Jesus, “To whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). We are left as bumbling humans seeking home. That’s just where we should be.
The man in the story in Mark’s gospel was just that. He wasn’t sure if Jesus could heal his boy. He must have thought at least it was worth a try. Desperation does that. Jesus talked about faith. This man admitted he didn’t have enough faith. Help my unbelief! That was his cry.
In spite of our bumbling around in this life, we will get home. How is beyond me. This much I do know: it’s not by my “solid” faith or my ability to see well enough to follow the lead of Jesus. If I’m honest, my faith is weak more than I’d like. But if by “faith” we mean turning to Jesus because you aren’t sure where else to turn most times, then, yes, I possess faith. But it’s pretty fickle. And yet we find home.
Here’s what else I know (I think): God’s grace has everything to do with it.
Jesus didn’t withhold healing because this man’s faith was incomplete. Jesus reached beyond his partial faith. The man might have even wondered, “What just happened? I did absolutely nothing. I wasn’t even sure I believed he could do it. I was just at the end of my rope. I was desperate.”
Such is grace. It is God sharing with us his life-giving touch when we are not sure it’s even possible. When we doubt. In fact, I’d wager that it’s in these moments that we see grace most fully for what it is. This experience of God’s grace – of God sharing with us his life – is happily too profound for a neat phrase. We don’t completely “get it.” We won’t. Just let it be what it is. Even when you struggle to believe.
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For reflection:
Prayer: God of grace, we sometimes do not have strong faith. Sometimes we struggle to believe. Reach out past our unbelief with your grace, and lift us to you anyway. Amen.
God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. G-R-A-C-E. This is one attempt to package grace into a simple, memorable, even marketable Christian phrase. I learned it back in the late 1980s in youth group. There are others. Some are neat attempts to define grace in a catchy phrase, sometimes in contrast to “works,” or “mercy,” or “judgment.” I’ve come to learn that we shouldn’t do this. Sometimes the attempt to simplify things is good and helpful. Other times it can be unintentionally misleading.
The trouble is that these simplified phrases can communicate the illusion that we’ve “got it.” Even if we know we don’t, catchy phrases like this feed the sense that we can capture what God’s grace is all about. Before long, we’re more committed to the simplified phrase than to being drawn in more deeply to experience the reality of grace.
God’s grace resists. One theme running through these Lent reflections might be that Lent reminds us that much about God, the gospel, the cross, and God’s love is well beyond our capacity to understand. We’re mortal. Our vision is too small. Our interpretations of Scripture are too narrow and limited. We see through a glass darkly.
This doesn’t mean we throw up our hands, saying, “What’s the use? Why even try?” The sentiment is not wrongheaded. But, as Peter says to Jesus, “To whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). We are left as bumbling humans seeking home. That’s just where we should be.
The man in the story in Mark’s gospel was just that. He wasn’t sure if Jesus could heal his boy. He must have thought at least it was worth a try. Desperation does that. Jesus talked about faith. This man admitted he didn’t have enough faith. Help my unbelief! That was his cry.
In spite of our bumbling around in this life, we will get home. How is beyond me. This much I do know: it’s not by my “solid” faith or my ability to see well enough to follow the lead of Jesus. If I’m honest, my faith is weak more than I’d like. But if by “faith” we mean turning to Jesus because you aren’t sure where else to turn most times, then, yes, I possess faith. But it’s pretty fickle. And yet we find home.
Here’s what else I know (I think): God’s grace has everything to do with it.
Jesus didn’t withhold healing because this man’s faith was incomplete. Jesus reached beyond his partial faith. The man might have even wondered, “What just happened? I did absolutely nothing. I wasn’t even sure I believed he could do it. I was just at the end of my rope. I was desperate.”
Such is grace. It is God sharing with us his life-giving touch when we are not sure it’s even possible. When we doubt. In fact, I’d wager that it’s in these moments that we see grace most fully for what it is. This experience of God’s grace – of God sharing with us his life – is happily too profound for a neat phrase. We don’t completely “get it.” We won’t. Just let it be what it is. Even when you struggle to believe.
___________________________________________
For reflection:
- Have you ever been like the man in the story who didn’t have solid faith, but turned to Jesus out of desperation? How has the Lord shared with you goodness, peace, healing, or love anyway? What does this say to you about God’s grace?
- For those with kids: Ask kids about times when they were not sure about God or their own faith. Maybe talk about how God holds us anyway. God is bigger.
Prayer: God of grace, we sometimes do not have strong faith. Sometimes we struggle to believe. Reach out past our unbelief with your grace, and lift us to you anyway. Amen.
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