Matthew 17:19-21 / Mark 9:28-29…
These other disciples who had not gone up the mountain had nevertheless had mountaintop experiences before. They knew Jesus was the Son of God, they had been commissioned by Him to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead, and they had seen and done these things.
Yet they could not accomplish the task at hand. We may be the children of God, and we may be servants of God, and we may have seen ourselves in victorious situations, but nevertheless, there are times when we will suffer temporary defeat.
What is the purpose in all of this? Is it to shake our faith? No, it is to drive us to our knees. Then again, it is to shake our faith, if it needs to be shaken. That is, if we are mostly having faith in ourselves and what we have been given, instead of supreme faith in the one who gave us these gifts. We have to look beyond our calling, our qualifications, our successes, or we will get into a rut of ritual. We can grow mechanical, formulaic, and complacent. God has to shake us to wake us, to take us from our spiritual slumber and into closer communion with Him. Often this is done through defeat. It reminds us that the place of prayer is the place of power.
Often we can get so enamored or desperate that we turn certain prayers, formulas, methods or manuals into our trusted weapons. You think it must be good because it has “worked” for so many and so many times before. Perhaps, but it can be mere gobbledygook, placebo and pragmatism if it is not accompanied by real power, and that through prayer.
You protest, “But I am praying and it isn’t working”. Good, then, God is trying to teach you something. Again you protest, “But I don’t know anything else that works like this”. Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to tell you. Get with God, and beware of clinical and clerical technique. Things aren’t always supposed to “work”.
You want the power back? Get back on your knees for real.
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