Mark 9:14-29   "All things are possible to him who believes."  Jesus tells the father of the boy tormented by an unclean spirit for all of his life.   There are some things that we need to pay attention to here, in Mark's account :

The father says..
" I brought You my son... "
"I told Your disciples to cast it out... "
"... if You can do anything..." 

He is a desperate, loving father. But, he needed an adjustment in his attitude... In the presence of Jesus,  he went from being a demanding, maybe arrogant.. may unbelieving man... desperate in need of help, ---to humbly crying out to Jesus, "I do believe; help my unbelief."  It is this humble confession that brings Jesus to deliver this young boy from the unclean spirit and from death. 

The disciples could not effect the change in the father or the deliverance of the son.  Was their faith insufficient?  No,  I don't think so, for they acted in faith when they attempted to cast out the demon.  Was the demon too powerful?  Jesus says, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."  Yet, maybe it wasn't that either. Jesus commanded the demon to come out and to "not enter him again."  There was a need in this family greater than the deliverance of this child... a need for truth and righteousness, for humility before God.. for true faith.  The disciples also needed to see beyond the immediate need.. to the heart problem.. the thing that had brought this child under the oppression in the first place.

Father in heaven, open our eyes to see that which is unseen.. to look beyond the immediate to the heart needs of those we walk alongside of today.  May we be people of prayer. May we be faithful and filled with Your Spirit of love and wisdom, strength and the fear of the Lord. Thank You Lord for Your Word and for Your grace and eternal, amazing love.  Be with us Lord Jesus and do the impossible things that only You can do.. delivering our world from darkness and oppression into the Light of Your Kingdom. Amen.