Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
August 10, 2021
Read Matthew 17:14-20
14 When they came to the crowd, a man met Jesus. He knelt before him, 15 saying, “Lord, show mercy to my son. He is epileptic and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire or the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” 17 Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Then Jesus spoke harshly to the demon. And it came out of the child, who was healed from that time on. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and said, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?” 20 “Because you have little faith,” he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.”
Good Morning! Rejoice! It is a new day!
Faith! Do you really believe?
I remember a story that Lowell told once. There was a missionary who was serving the Lord in a remote village in Africa. The members of the village were very supportive of his ministry. They attended services and worked to embrace this new idea of one God. The missionary felt as if they were beginning to truly understand and believe the word. The chief of the village watched these services from afar: He allowed the others to attend and learn, but it was up to him to maintain the old ways and culture.
One night several villagers came running to his hut because their chief had become very ill. They asked him to come and pray for him. The missionary quickly came to the hut of the chief and when he arrived he realized that the chief would likely not live through the night without significant medical support which didn’t exist in this area. He gathered with the villagers around the bed of the chief and began to pray to God for healing. This went on for several hours until the missionary was so tired that he went to lie down.
As he left, he did not expect that he would see the chief alive in the morning. He was awakened a few hours later with chanting, singing, and celebrating. He hurriedly came out of his hut and asked the nearest person, “What is happening?” He learned that the chief was alive and walking around his hut. The missionary was amazed, and he continued walking towards the chief’s hut. When he arrived, he found the villagers who had initially summoned him. When he talked to them, he learned that after he went to bed, they continued to pray because they believed that the missionary didn’t have faith that their chief would be healed. So with complete faith, they prayed for the healing, and their prayers were answered.
The missionary had shared and taught them of God’s mercy and great power, but he didn’t truly believe. This is another example where we are challenged by our inability to let go and see things through the eyes of a child. We are children of God and we are called to share the word and love everyone. Through faith, we can accomplish things that seem impossible if we can open our hearts to the possibilities.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. Too often, we see the world through a practical, adult lens that limits the possibilities of faith. Help us to let go and trust in You. With faith, everything is possible. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I can accomplish great things through faith in Jesus Christ.
Believe! Pastor Liz
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