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154. Only With Prayer and Fasting


Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, & Luke 9:37-43
Key Verse: "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

Kathy can identify a little with the plight of the Father. When she was in junior high, one of her classmates suffered from severe epilepsy. One never knew when a seizure would strike. It could be that the fact that his body was changing made it even harder to medicate him properly. Junior high is tough enough without the added problems that epilepsy created. He suffered from grand mal seizures. He would fall to the floor, become rigid, convulse for several minutes and then, when it was over, he was moved to a quiet place where he would sleep for many hours. For Kathy, who was unfamiliar with the condition, it was scary. For those who had been trained, including his close friends, calm and patience made a huge difference.

This boy's parents had the blessing of living in the 20th century. Their son's condition, though ongoing, was understood by them and they were doing all they could to help their son gain control over the situation and live as normal of a life as possible. The father in this story, however, had no hope for his son until Jesus.  And today’s doctors wouldn’t understand this boy’s condition. It looked like epilepsy, but Scripture specifically identifies this as a demon possession.

So he came to where Jesus was. The disciples who had been left behind thought that they could help!  After all, they had some experience with healings by now. So, they gave it a try, but they were unsuccessful.  When Jesus arrived, He was able to get the situation well in hand. The Father begged for mercy and for help with his own lack of faith. Jesus honored the father's request, healed the boy and sent them on their way.

Now, however, we have to wonder if the nine disciples who were with the father, were riddled with self-doubt. They had been left behind while Peter, James and John had gone off privately with Jesus. They wouldn't learn until after the resurrection just what Peter, James and John's experience had been while with him, but to face defeat also in something that Jesus had blessed them to be able to do earlier had to have been unsettling and caused a crisis of faith.

In fact, it is their faith that Jesus calls into question. Matthew records Jesus stating that they lacked faith. If they had had even as little faith as a mustard seed, they would have been successful. Mark records Jesus saying, "This kind can only come out by prayer." (Mark 9:29) We would think that Jesus’ disciples would know best how to pray and walk by faith. After all, Jesus had taught them personally as they walked with him on a daily basis. Could it be, however, that in this incidence at least, they had become self-confident, forgetting where the true source of the power is. We don't know this for sure, but wouldn't that just be like us humans to think that, this time, we can handle things without consulting God in prayer first?

We too, need to be careful not to fall into the self-confident trap in which the disciples may have found themselves. We need to be in constant touch with Jesus, seeking His wisdom and strength for every moment of our lives. We can't afford to coast on past successes of faith. They may help us remember to have faith, but contact with Christ is the only way to stay connected with His true power.

Hymn: "Lord, I Need You"   Matt Maher

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