“Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith.’” Matthew 17:19-20
(Verses chosen from today’s Bible reading – 2 Samuel 6 & 1 Chronicles 13 & Psalm 68 & Matthew 17)
Something was wrong with the faith of the disciples and it became public.
The disciples’ attempts to remove an evil spirit failed…….and they wondered why.
Jesus explained that their faith limitations were the crux of the problem.
Jesus could do anything. He had no limitations. The disciples had been empowered by Jesus to drive out evil spirits and they had done it before. What was different this time?
It may have been that they had shifted their faith in God into faith in their own abilities.
Often times an “obstacle” takes on enormous dimensions in my thinking. My faith is in my perception of the problem. If my faith is small/weak then I am overwhelmed by the obstacle.
That doesn’t seem to be what the disciples’ issue was. They saw the evil spirit problem as small but they lost sight of why the evil spirit problem was small. It was all about Jesus and apparently some of the “Jesus” part was no longer in place. They tried to function apart from God and made fools of themselves.
My complete faith must be in God. Counterfeit gods, like myself, are terminal and ultimately powerless.
“Lord, there is plenty in this passage for me. I am weak and You are strong. You are never over Your head. If I will completely trust You I will be able to do what You want me to do. Forgive me for underestimating You. Forgive me for overestimating me. I need You 24/7. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah.”
His Word For Me 