Taken by the Hand (1-12-12)

Mark 9:27 - "But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up."

In Mark chapter 9, right after Jesus had been transfigured on the mountain before Peter, James and John, we're given an account of Jesus casting a demon out of a boy. We read in Mark 9:20-27 - "And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” And when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up." This boy had a serious problem. He had a spirit within him that was seeking his destruction. It was continually casting him down, but when the boy was brought to Jesus the spirit was cast out and the Lord took him by the hand and raised him up. Though we are saved, we have an enemy who is seeking our destruction, he's seeking to destroy our testimonies and he will bring stuff into our lives to make us stumble, to bring us down. But even though we stumble the Lord will raise us up. He cares about us and wants to restore our walk. Psalm 37:23-24 says- "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand." I love that statement, "the LORD is the One who holds his hand." Just like Jesus took the boy in Mark nine by the hand, He has taken us by the hand. He desires to walk closely, hand in hand with us. And even when we stumble we will not be utterly destroyed, because the Lord is close by to raise us up again, to restore our walk with Him.
In Psalm 73 the psalmist sees the prosperity of the wicked and it doesn't make sense to him. He knows that God is good, but He can't understand why good things would be happening to bad people, and why bad things would be happening to good people. He confesses that in his heart he began to get bitter, he was senseless, ignorant and confesses that he was as a beast before God, but then he says in verse 23 - "Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand." Despite our lack of faith and our questioning of God, He is still there. He is continually with us. I think that sometimes we just need to be honest, like the father of the child in Mark 9. Jesus told the man that all things are possible to him who believes, and the man replied “I do believe; help my unbelief.” God sympathizes with our weaknesses, but He wants us to bring them to Him, to be honest with Him about the stumbling blocks in our lives so that when we do stumble and fall, we are not hurled headlong because the Lord is the one who holds our hands.

Isaiah 41:13 - "For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’"