Hey, my friend. Welcome to our second bonus episode. These bonus episodes are designed to introduce you to some spiritual practices that you might not be familiar with, or even aware of. Sometimes I feel like we get so glued to Bible reading and prayer—both of which are very good and foundational to our relationship with God—but we get so glued to them that we miss out on so many other things that can help us engage with God and deepen our relationship with Him.
If you connect with this guided Scripture reading and want to explore some other spiritual practices, I invite you to join me this coming Tuesday, May 4, for an online mini-retreat called When God Says No. During our time together, we’ll explore the tension we experience when God says no to a request from us, and how He might use that “no” to further His Kingdom. You can register at lovedoesthat.org/whengodsaysno – or use the link in the Show Notes below.
Guided Scripture reading has been powerful for me because it helps me engage with the story in a deeper way. It’s often combined with a practice called imaginative prayer, where you use all of your senses and imagination to enter into the story itself. What sounds do you hear? What does it smell like? Who is around you? And then God uses these details and stories to speak to you right where you are.
I’ll be honest: it might feel a little strange at first. We’ve been taught to use our reasoning and knowledge when we read the Bible, not our imaginations.
But, you see, God has given us a mind to both reason and imagine, and when we use that reasoning and imagination with God’s guidance, He will empower us to engage more deeply with His Word… and ultimately, engage more meaningfully with Him.
So I invite you to find a quiet place. Get settled. Pause the podcast until you’re ready to begin. And let’s see what God has to say to us today. There will be some moments of silence as I allow you to reflect, but I’ll start and end with prayer. I invite you to continue sitting with God, to continue sitting with this story, until you are ready to leave.
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God, we thank You for being here with us. And we pause to leave our distractions and worries off to the side. And really, we just give them to You and leave them in Your capable hands. We know we can give our cares to You because You care about us and You care about what happens to us. Holy Spirit, we invite you into this moment, and we ask that You help us remember what it was like to be a child. And from that place, to use our imaginations to enter into this story and hear what You want us to hear. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
I’m going to encourage you to close your eyes, if you are comfortable doing so. As best as you can, remember what it was like when you were 8. Or 9. Or 10. Think about how you spent your days. Think about what you wanted most. Think about how you interacted with the adults in your life. What kinds of things did you like to do? Where were your favorite places to play?
Now I want you to think about a time when you might have been helpless, unable to stand up for or defend yourself. Maybe some other kids were teasing you. Maybe you were sick. Maybe you had a learning disorder or poor health.
As I read the following story, as best as you can, hear this story as if you were the child we are reading about.
This is from Mark chapter 9.
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them.
Stop for a moment. Can you hear the argument between the disciples and the teachers of the law? Do you hear loud voices? How do you, as a child, feel in that kind of environment?
15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
That’s you. Your dad is describing you to Jesus. How do you feel? What is it like not to be able to talk? What is it like to be thrown violently to the ground? And to act in such ways in front of other people and not be able to do anything about it?
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
You are thrown into a convulsion right in front of Jesus. Can you imagine it? How do you feel? What is going through your mind?
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
Can you see the scars over your body from the fire? The memories of being thrown into fire or water and not knowing if you’d make it out alive? How frightening that must have been?
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
What is it like to see your dad begging on your behalf?
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
What is it like for Jesus to take you by the hand and help you stand? What does it feel like to be free?
[Pause]
Think back to the situation you remembered earlier. The one where you were helpless. Did someone stand up for you? Did someone fight on your behalf? If so, take a moment to reflect on what that meant to you. If not, ask God to show you how that might have affected you.
We’re going to read through the story again, but this time, we know that in addition to not being able to speak, the boy isn’t able to hear, either. And so, as you hear the story unfold, it’s complete silence to you. You can only see facial expressions and body movement. How much of what’s going on will you really understand?
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them.
Remember, you can’t hear them, but you can see them. What are their expressions? Where are you standing in relation to them?
15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
You see your dad talking with Jesus. You can’t completely understand what he is saying, but you know he’s talking about you. Describing the agony you’ve been through. Where are you looking as he shares about you? Are you looking at the ground? At your dad? At Jesus? If you’re looking at someone else, what is the expression on their face?
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy.
You are now standing in front of Jesus, unable to speak, unable to hear. What is it like to be so close to Him? What do you see in His eyes?
But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
What might Jesus have to say to you as you stand by His side once again?
[Pause]
I invite you to continue sitting with this story as long as you sense God drawing you to it. It would also be quite powerful, I believe, to read through it from the perspective of the father instead. Someone who is fighting on behalf of another. God, we thank You for speaking to us in this moment and through this story in Your Word. Please keep speaking to us. Amen.
RESOURCES:
CONNECT:
When You Care So Much, It’s Overwhelming
Standing Between: The Ministry of Intercession
[Book Recommendation] The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holley Gerth
[Guided Prayer + Meditation] Sitting With Your Friend in Her Pain
