得力源于祷告
马可福音九章9至29节
9下山的时候，耶稣嘱咐他们说：人子还没有从死里复活，你们不要将所看见的告诉人。
10门徒将这话存记在心，彼此议论从死里复活是甚么意思。
11他们就问耶稣说：文士为甚么说以利亚必须先来？
12耶稣说：以利亚固然先来复兴万事；经上不是指着人子说，他要受许多的苦被人轻慢呢？
13我告诉你们，以利亚已经来了，他们也任意待他，正如经上所指着他的话。
14耶稣到了门徒那里，看见有许多人围着他们，又有文士和他们辩论。
15众人一见耶稣，都甚希奇，就跑上去问他的安。
16耶稣问他们说：你们和他们辩论的是甚么？
17众人中间有一个人回答说：夫子，我带了我的儿子到你这里来，他被哑吧鬼附着。
18无论在那里，鬼捉弄他，把他摔倒，他就口中流沫，咬牙切齿，身体枯干。我请过你的门徒把鬼赶出去，他们却是不能。
19耶稣说：嗳！不信的世代阿，我在你们这里要到几时呢？我忍耐你们要到几时呢？把他带到我这里来罢。
20他们就带了他来。他一见耶稣，鬼便叫他重重的抽疯，倒在地上，翻来覆去，口中流沫。
21耶稣问他父亲说：他得这病有多少日子呢？回答说：从小的时候。
22鬼屡次把他扔在火里、水里，要灭他。你若能做甚么，求你怜悯我们，帮助我们。
23耶稣对他说：你若能信，在信的人，凡事都能。
24孩子的父亲立时喊着说（有古卷：立时流泪的喊着说）：我信！但我信不足，求主帮助。
25耶稣看见众人都跑上来，就斥责那污鬼说：你这聋哑的鬼，我吩咐你从他里头出来，再不要进去！
26那鬼喊叫，使孩子大大的抽了一阵疯，就出来了。孩子好像死了一般。以致众人多半说：他是死了。
27但耶稣拉着他的手，扶他起来，他就站起来了。
28耶稣进了屋子，门徒就暗暗的问他说：我们为甚么不能赶出他去呢？
29耶稣说：非用祷告（有古卷在此有：禁食二字），这一类的鬼总不能出来（或作：不能赶出他去来）。
信息分享
今天我们要学的最重要功课，是上述经文的最后一节。在这之前，门徒曾经成功驱赶污鬼，但这次却不成功；他们对此感到大惑不解。基督非常清楚说出原因。祂在19节首先指出他们缺乏信心，继而在第29节表示他们必须借着祷告，才能把污鬼赶出来。
他们之所以没有能力，是因为缺少祷告。这对我们今天来说有何提醒呢？我们经常渴望能看见神成就大事，但是在现实生活中，我们却只看见自己是那么软弱，敌人却是那么强大。归根究底，是否正因为我们缺少祷告？
主在这里所指的「祷告」，不是指一次的祷告，而是指一颗恒常祷告的心或我们称之为的「祷告生活」。基督的意思是：除非我们在生活中学习凡事信靠神，仰赖神的能力而不是自己的力量去解决问题，我们才能面对和处理类似的困难。
这岂不是我们今天要学的一项重要功课吗？我们若希望自己有足够的能力去面对生活中的大小困难，就必须常常祷告，透过祷告来明白神的心意和支取神的能力。
撒但当然不喜欢我们向神祷告，所以他会想尽法来阻挠我们、诱骗我们，使我们忽视祷告。而且，我们肉体的罪性也驱使我们只懂倚靠自己，懒于祷告。然而，当我们知道，我们只有借着祷告，才能得到神的赐福、加力和帮助，才能过得胜的生活，我们就绝不可以忽略祷告。我们担心自己缺乏恒心和持久力？那么，我们就更加需要向神祷告，求神加力，以及求圣灵帮助我们祷告了。
反思：
倘若神的儿子也要经常祷告，我们岂不需要更多的祷告？
POWERLESS BECAUSE PRAYERLESS
Mark 9:9-29
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? ”
12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.
15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.
16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them? ”
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
20 Then they brought him to Him.And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him? ”
And he said, “From childhood.
22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out? ”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Message
The greatest lesson for us today is found in the final verse of our reading. The disciples had cast out demons before this, but now they couldn't do it. They couldn't understand why. Christ told them the answer very plainly. In verse 19 he has pointed out their lack of faith but in verse 29 he said that prayer was what was needed most of all.
They were powerless because they were prayerless. What does that say to us today? We so often long to see great things accomplished for God but somehow we seem so weak and the enemy seems so strong. Is the reason our lack of prayer?
The word which our Lord used here really means an attitude or a spirit of prayer - not just one moment of prayer. We could call it 'a life of prayer'. Christ was saying that only a life lived in dependence on God - a life that does not depend on its own strength in any way-could ever face up to a situation like this.
So the lesson for us from our reading is very clear, isn't it? If we are ever to be sufficient in the various situations that face us every day, we must be men and women who know how to pray. We need to give ourselves to praying more. Yet this is one of the hardest things we can do.
Satan does not want us to pray. Our own flesh does not want to pray. But if we want God's blessing and the strength and victory he can give, the answer is very simple - we need to pray. Can we ask God to help us do it?
A THOUGHT:
If Christ the Son of God needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray?