Scripture:

Mark 9:25-29
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." 
26 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!"
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.
28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?"
29 And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."
NASU


Thoughts:

Apparently prayer was overlooked by the disciples here, as it often is by us, today.  Therefore, they could not drive out the demon (verses 28-29).  Unthinkable!  The disciples are on the mission field, and neglect to pray! 

But is this not so true to our lives?  When the action is ongoing, we don't want to stop and pray.  When there is stress and decisions to be made, or even ministry to fulfill, our natural tendency is to bear down on the work, not to seek the Lord. 

But like the disciples, we so often miss the power and direction the Lord has for us, due to our prayerlessness.  He has a victory for us, but we wallow in our self-imposed defeat.  He has a simple solution, while we exhaust our minds straining for an answer.  Oh that we would trust Him!


Prayer:

Help me Lord, to remember to pray.  I want to be a warrior in prayer, not a fighter in my flesh.  Grant me the wisdom and discipline, to be still and listen to You.

Amen