The Power of “IF”
Mark 1:40-44
Oscar did not know what would be in store for his family as they disembarked at Ellis Island. There were times during their long journey from Sweden that young Oscar wondered if they would ever get to this wonderful place called America. Yet Oscar and his family settled in Minnesota and began to make a new life for themselves. Not only did they struggle to get here but it would not be long until more trouble would come. Soon Oscar would find himself lying in the bed gasping for air. His right lung collapsed and his body so ravaged by Tuberculosis that every breath was extremely difficult. He tried to keep his breathing in rhythm with his brother Paul lying in the bed next to him, but Paul’s rhythm became more and more shallow with more and more rattle. When Oscar’s brother Paul lost the battle to TB and died, he was certain he would be next.
A minister came to that sanitarium in Minneapolis to visit the sick, lay hands on them, and pray. Only Jesus knows the name of that humble servant of God, but changes began to happen in Oscar’s body and heart. The collapsed lung began to heal. Oscar regained his health and went on to become a pastor, evangelist, and songwriter.
Listen to the words of the one of the songs Oscar C. Eliason wrote:
“Be of good courage,” God spake unto Joshua,
When o’er the river God pointed the way;
Jordan un-crossable! things seemed impossible,
Waters divide as they march and obey.
“Got any rivers you think are un-crossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible,
He can do just what no other can do.”
-Oscar C Eliason
God can be found in two places:
one high and lofty,
the other among the lowly and contrite.
Isaiah 57:15
15 For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (NIV)
James 4:6
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
(NIV)
Since none of us can get up that high,
it is wise to stay down low.
Pastor Ben Patterson tells about how he learned this lesson the hard way: “In the spring of 1980 I was suffering great pain from what was diagnosed as two herniated discs in my lower back. The prescription was total bed rest. But since my bed was too soft, the treatment ended up being total floor rest. I was frustrated and humiliated. I couldn’t preach, I couldn’t lead meetings, I couldn’t call on new prospects for the church. I couldn’t do anything but pray.
Not that I immediately grasped that last fact. It took two weeks for me to get so bored that I finally asked my wife for the church directory so I could at least do something, even if it was only pray for the people of my congregation. Note: it wasn’t piety but boredom and frustration that drove me to pray. But pray I did, every day for every person in my church, two or three hours a day. After a while, the time became sweet.
Toward the end of my convalescence, anticipating my return to work, I prayed, "Lord, this has been good, this praying. It’s too bad I don’t have time to do this when I’m working."
And God spoke to me, very clearly. He said, "Stupid (that’s right, that was his very word. He said it in a kind tone of voice, though). You have the same 24 hours each day when you’re weak as when you’re strong. The only difference is that when you’re strong you think you’re in charge. When you’re weak you know you aren’t."
That’s when I began to understand that God loves the little things, the secret things his servants do, because when we stop being lords, he can be Lord. And when he is Lord, there is power, and there is fruit.
The good fruit visible is planted in prayers prayed in weakness and in secret. What happens in prayer is to the spiritual realm what the first two weeks of life are to the physical.” (from Leadership Journal, 2001)
Sometimes it’s a fight to be weak!
The Apostle Paul came to grips with His own fight to be weak in 2 Corinthians 12.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(NIV)
Often God has to get us into an “IFFY” situation so that we learn to pray.
Life is full of IF!
Life is centered on IF, surrounded by IF! You can’t even spell, “LIFE” without “IF”! “IF” is an intricate and indispensable part of life. You cannot live “life” without “IF”!
Yet “IF” gives life power!
“IF” does not necessarily mean that we “doubt”.
It means that certain conditions come
into consideration for the situation
to become a reality.
An example:
I John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(KJV)
What is the condition to be met in order for God to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness? “IF we confess our sins”! In order for God to forgive us our sins, to send them away, we must meet the condition of “confessing our sins” to God.
According to Jesus, our own opportunity of being forgiven is intricately connected to the condition of whether we forgive others:
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
(NIV)
Another example:
John 15:7
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
(NIV)
Two conditions: We must remain in Jesus and make sure His Word remains in us. Then we can ask what we will and it will be done!
Mark 1:40-42
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees,
"If you are willing, you can make me clean."
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
"I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
(NIV)
The man with an incurable disease, leprosy, came to the end of his rope and to his only hope. Any crowd around Jesus that day quickly moved out of the way of the man who Dr. Luke says was “full” of leprosy (Luke 5:12). This man has no minor case! He has lived with the disease until it has overtaken his body. When Jesus arrives, the leper does the only thing he can do: shouts “Unclean!” to alert the crowd pressing in on Jesus to get out of his way and falling at the feet of Jesus says, “IF You are willing, You can make me clean!”
There is no presumption here. No questioning.
The leper knows Jesus can heal!
“If” is not a matter of doubting whether Jesus can.
But is Jesus willing?
There are two words in the Greek meaning “to be willing, to desire”: “Thelo”, a desire that comes from the emotions, and “boulomai”, a desire that comes from reason. Thelo is used here. The leper is saying, “Jesus, if you care, you have the power to heal me!” There is no expression of doubting His ability. This is a plea for His mercy!
Jesus’ response to IF (verse 41):
Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
"I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Jesus is moved by the leper’s FAITH.
He is “filled with compassion”, literally, Jesus feels the pain of the leper in his gut!
Jesus does not just pity the leper – that would be condescending!
Jesus does not just have sympathy – that would be superfiscial!
Jesus does not just empathize with the leper, caring but keeping him at a distance!
Jesus’ concern reaches all the way to gut level!
When one is moved with compassion to the gut level,
reaction comes instinctively.
You don’t reason through all the reasons why you should or should not deal with the need. Precautionary measures are thrown out the window! The gut reaction is the only one that counts right now! Jesus does not stop to think about what might be the “politically correct” thing to do. He doesn’t go get the rubber gloves, lest he catch what the leper has. Jesus’ gut level, “knee-jerk” reaction of compassion is to touch the leper while agreeing to heal him! “Be clean!” – literally, “Be clean at once!”
“If you are willing…” “I am…!” “Be clean NOW!”
Are you in an impossible situation, wondering IF Jesus is willing to take care of it? Perhaps you don’t doubt that He can but you wonder if He will. Sure he’s taken care of others but will Jesus care about your situation, your needs, your problem? Wouldn’t you like to hear Him say, “I am willing!”
We don’t need to wait on God…
He’s waiting on us!
God is able, willing, and ready!
Pastor Jim Cymbala, in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, tells how God answered fervent prayer on behalf of his daughter. He writes:
“Our oldest daughter, Chrissy, had been a model child growing up. But around age sixteen she started to stray,…not only from us but also away from God. In time, she even left our home. There were many nights when we had no idea where she was.
As the situation grew more serious, I tried everything. I begged, I pleaded, I scolded, I argued, I tried to control her with money,…nothing worked! She just hardened more and more.
While this was going on, (my wife) Carol needed an operation. (During the post-surgical depression that followed), the devil took the opportunity to come after her and say, ‘You have a big choir, and you’re making albums and doing outreaches at Radio City music Hall. Fine, you and your husband can go ahead to reach the world for Christ—but I’m going to have your children. I’ve already got the first one. I’m coming after the next two!’…One day (Carol) said to me, ‘Listen, we need to leave New York. I’m serious. This atmosphere has already swallowed up our daughter. We can’t keep raising our kids here!’
Then in November, …I received a call from a pastor friend I had persuaded Chrissy to talk to. He said, ‘Jim I love you and Carol, but Chrissy is going to do what Chrissy wants to do. She’s eightenn. She’s determined. You have to accept what she decides. You don’t have much choice!’
I hung up the phone. I couldn’t accept Chrissy being away from the Lord!
God strongly impressed me that I was to converse with no one but God. In fact, I should have no further contact with Chrissy—until God acted!
Christmas came and it was nearly impossible to keep my composure, trying to open presents with the other children and no Chrissy.
February came. One cold Tuesday night during prayer meeting, I talked from Acts 4 about how the church boldly calling on God in the face of persecution. We entered into a time of prayer, everyone reaching out to the Lord simultaneously.
An usher handed me a note. A young woman whom I felt to be spiritually sensitive had written: ‘Pastor Cymbala, I feel impressed that we should stop the meeting and all pray for your daughter.’
In a few minutes I picked up the microphone and told the congregation what had just happened. ‘The truth of the matter,’ I said, ‘although I haven’t talked much about it, is that my daughter is very far from God these days. She thinks up is down and down is up; dark is light and light is dark. But I know God can break through to her, and so I’m going to ask Pastor Boestaaf to lead us in prayer for Chrissy. Let’s all join hands across the sanctuary.’
To describe what happened in the next few minutes, I can only imply a metaphor: There church turned into a labor room…. There arose a groaning, a sense of desperate determination, as if to say, ‘Satan, you will NOT have this girl! Take your hands off!’
When I got home that night, I said (to Carol), ‘It’s over!’
‘What’s over?’ she wondered.
‘It’s over with Chrissy…I tell you, if there is a God in Heaven, this whole nightmare is finally over!’
Thirty-two hours later…as I was shaving, Carol burst through the door. ‘Go downstairs!’ she blurted. ‘Chrissy’s here! It’s you she wanted to see!’
I wiped off the shaving foam and headed down the stairs, my heart pounding. As I came around the corner, I saw my daughter on the kitchen floor, rocking on her hands and knees, sobbing. Cautiously I spoke her name.
‘Chrissy?’
She grabbed my pantleg and began pouring out her anguish. ‘Daddy—Daddy—I’ve sinned against God. I’ve sinned against myself. I’ve sinned against you and Mommy. Please forgive me—‘
Then suddenly she drew back. ‘Daddy,’ she said with a start, ‘who was praying for me? Who was praying for me?’ Her voice was like that of a cross-examining attorney.
‘What do you mean, Chrissy?’
‘On Tuesday night, Daddy—who was praying for me? In the middle of the night, God woke me up and showed me I was heading toward this abyss. There was no bottom to it—it scared me to death. I was so fightened. I realized how hard I’ve been, how wrong, how rebellious. But at the same time, it was like God wrapped His arms around me and held me tight. He kept me from sliding any farther as He said, I still love you! Who was praying for me Tuesday night?” (from Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, pages 60-65)
“Got any rivers you think are un-crossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible,
He can do just what no other can do.”
-Oscar C Eliason
