Day 30 | The Demoniac Son

Read Matthew 17:14-20

Jesus has just been transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-13), a literal highpoint to Jesus’s earthly ministry before His crucifixion and resurrection. Coming down from the mountain, the four of them encounter a father, his demon-possessed son, and the nine other disciples and their failure to cast the demon out of the boy. In the failure of the nine, Jesus sees what begins many shortcomings in our walk with Him, unbelief.

In His humanity, unbelief was a jarring reminder to Jesus of the fickleness of the human heart and our constant need to be reminded of His power, mercy, and grace. Jesus’s frustration with an “unbelieving and perverse generation” continues to this day. Jesus reminds us that even tiny faith, a mustard seed size, can do amazing things if the object of our faith is Him. The question Jesus, and the unbelieving world, is asking of us is, “What do you believe about Him?” And to our shame, the church continues to fall short. Jesus has given us everything we need, His Spirit and His Word, to fuel our faith in Him and in all He can do for His glory and our good. And yet, we continue to ask, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” “Why didn’t we see a victory?” “Why don’t we see mighty works of God in our midst?” The problem isn’t Jesus. It’s us.

How do we become people of faith, believing that God can heal? The answer is given in the parallel passage in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.” Prayer reminds us that there is no power to heal that we bring in and of ourselves. If healing is to be done, God alone, through His indwelling Spirit, will do it. So, if we aren’t crying out to God for His power, we demonstrate our faith is in everything but Him. And that is unbelief. Your belief in God’s ability to heal will grow exponentially as you cry out to Him in prayer. A person of prayer can’t help but be a person of faith.

Pray for 10 minutes