“How long shall I be with you, and bear with you?” Luke 9:41
Dear Ones:
It was the day after what is called “The Transfiguration.” The day of the transfiguration, Jesus had gone up to a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, “…the appearance of His countenance was altered, and his clothes were white and glistening. And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elijah.” (Luke 9:29-30) Peter, and the other disciples awake from sleep to behold this sight, and are overwhelmed. The next day, they come down from the mountain, and come face to face with the devil, face to face with the stark defiance of unbelief. A man, whose son is demon possessed, cries out to the Lord Jesus for help. The man had asked the disciples to help him, but “they could not.” It was at this moment that the Lord Jesus would direct His attention specifically to their unbelief: “…how long shall I be with you, and bear with you?” Why were the the disciples so “faithless,” so ineffective? In the parallel passage in Matthew 17, we find that the Lord answers the disciple’s question: “Why could we not cast him out?” (v.19) He answers, “Truly, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove from here to another place; and it will remove, and nothing will be impossible to you.'” (v.20) Why does he address the problem of unbelief in this manner? It is because the issue is not one of great faith, but of the quality of faith. True faith, which is the gift of God, is a faith that is singular and entire. It is singular in the fact that its object is but ONE…Christ. It is entire, for there is only ONE that is worthy of ALL of our trust. This faith commits itself wholly to trust in Christ, and Him alone. It may be small, but if it is true, then mountains can be moved, “…and nothing shall be impossible to you.” (Matt. 17:20) In this particular case with the demon-possessed boy, the Lord said that “this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.” These are His means by which we are helped to place all of our hope and expectation directly, and only in Christ.
If we are honest with God, and with ourselves, we must confess that there have been times in the past, and perhaps presently, when our “faith” has faltered in the face of difficulty, opposition, and perhaps “immovable mountains.” The Lord marvels at our unbelief because there is nothing more certain in this universe than His faithfulness, and yet, we falter. It is at this point that He will come to the aid of those who truly call unto Him, “…Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief.” (Mk. 9:24) The Lord Jesus responded to the despondent and desperate cry of a father’s heart. Will He not respond to our hearts in like manner?
Dear Father, give us grace not to look at faith, but only and wholly to You. Open our eyes increasingly to see that You are the God of the mountains, and that all things are subservient to you. O Sovereign and Victorious Lord, grant us to be strengthened mightily by Your Spirit, to believe You for the full out-working of Your will, in your way, for your glory. You are absolutely worthy to be honored by such faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad