I never noticed the connection between Matthew 17 and Mark 9 before—the story where the disciples are unable to cast out a demon. Matthew 17 says that their inability to cast it out was because of their unbelief. Mark 9 says it was due to a lack of prayer. Piecing these two together, it seems as though they believed in themselves, that they could cast out the demon on their own without asking God for help.
How many times do I do the same! I fail to ask although I know that I can do nothing on my own strength. I need the Lord’s strength. As Tara Leigh Cobble so eloquently writes in The Bible Recap, “…their self-reliance meant they didn’t even ask God for help; they tried to access the power of God without connecting to the person of God.”
Don’t let that be you. Ask Him for help.
A – Acknowledge that God is the source.
S – Seek His help.
K – Know that He is good and that He is God.
mamafolio 