I'm Asking!

The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power. [Luke 9.37-43]

Jesus was NOT pleased with something! It was very obvious by Jesus' response to the child being brought to Him (and why the child was brought to Him) that Jesus was not at all happy with the situation. And what was the situation? A lack of faith.

It seems by now that Jesus is expecting that His followers would be getting the idea that God's power is available to them... but they aren't getting it - they aren't acting upon it. Jesus knows His time on earth is running short - Jesus knows they need to start standing on their own two feet faith-wise - but they are not. It is this fact that draws Jesus' ire, "You faithless and corrupt people..."

How then are we faring today? The people Jesus scolded at least brought their sick ones to Him for healing! We've formulated new theology today (not sure what it is based on scripturally) that, by and large, no longer even encourages us to seek these types of miracles from God. No longer is faith something tangible - it is now abstract and unseen (much less demanding and much more comfortable).

Yes, I am dissatisfied with my own faith. I cannot help but believe our reasonable and logical see-it-to-believe-it scientific qualifier for faith grieves the very heart of God. Are there genuine miracles today? Regardless of our opinions of modern 'faith healers,' are they actually striving more to please the heart of God than others?

These questions are much easier left un-asked aren't they?

Well, I'm asking! My intangible faith is not leaving me feeling very pleasing to God.

Father God, please help my faith!