A man came to Jesus, begging mercy for his demon-possessed son whom the disciples couldn't help. Jesus cured the boy, and reminded His disciples that only prayer and fasting was adequate in this case.
What was the problem with the disciples? Now, this is just an inference I'm drawing, but it seems to me that they had taken a shortcut somewhere along the way. I think they'd gotten a little self-assured and hadn't prayed and certainly hadn't fasted. What about you, what about me? Do we sometimes forge forward in our own strength? Get a little over-confident in our own skills? When was the last time we agonized in prayer, not for a few minutes but for hours? When was the last time we fasted and prayed over a decision?
What about the dad, was he lacking in faith? Actually, I think he is a fine example to us of persistence in the face of failure, of faith that overcomes setbacks, of patience that pushes us be confident in never giving up.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for being self-confident apart from You. Focus my prayers and my acts of service and worship, that I may be led by Your Spirit rather than led by my own “good ideas.” Teach me more about fasting, too. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment