Jesus, Peter, John and James had been on a mountain and had experienced the Transfiguration of Jesus as the Son of God, Messiah.  When they came down from that awesome mountain experience a large crowd was waiting for Jesus.  In that crowd was a man, a desperate father.

(NASB) Luke 9:38 “…‘Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy,
39 and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.
40 ‘I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.’

A desperate plea of a father for his only son.
The desperation of the inability to help a helpless child.
The despair of no help – from any source.
The desperation of despair – no place to turn for a cure or a solution.

Even today, the most modern, technical and scientific knowledge cannot give cures for all illnesses.   Where do you turn when you are desperate?  To whom do you plead…beg for help when in despair?

The father in this real life drama waited on Jesus to come down from a mountain.  When Jesus came, that man was first to get His attention by shouting out to Him from the crowd.

The father had tried everything he knew, and it had not helped his son.  The disciples of Jesus had apparently tried, and could not help.  (Another devotional will give what Jesus said about the inability of the disciples to help.)

Demons are real and have the power to cause mental disorders, violent actions, bodily disease, and rebellion against God.  Not all mental disorders, violent actions, bodily disease and rebellion against God is caused by demons!  We need to be discerning and seek God’s wisdom when faced with any of the above.

The father went to Jesus.  Do you?
The father recognized that his child was at the mercy of demonic forces.  And Jesus could help his son.  Do you recognize that Jesus has the power to work in the lives of your children, yourself and others?

As followers of Christ we are not to give in to desperation or despair.  Shouldn’t we exercise faith in our God, the living God of the Bible?
It is He Who has given us life in His Son (His resurrected Son).
It is He Who has saved us from death and He continues to save us for our faith is in His actions and words.
(A paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

Our hope is in His power to deliver us and to bring us into His presence.