Note from Jesus
Dear Child of God,
I know that you love mountain-top experiences. Unfortunately, sooner or later you have to come down from the mountain and face the realities of life on earth. As you read the verses below from Luke, the physician, remember that I had to face very similar realities when I came down from My mountain-top experience with the Father and with My disciples (Luke 9:28-36).
When I came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, I faced several very frustrating realities:
- The crowds that swarmed around Me everywhere I went were waiting for Me at the bottom of the mountain. I loved the people, but the crowds were not really interested in Who I AM or in coming to faith. They were mostly interested in what they could get from Me. Dealing with the crowds in My ministry was hard on Me.
- There was a man who had a very difficult situation with his son. I hate for Satan to hold anyone in his evil grip or torment any family. This situation needed a remedy, but the man and his son had not received one.
- My disciples, who had been given authoritative power and had recently been personally involved in several miraculous experiences, found themselves “incapable” of helping the man and his son. Their lack of faith was frustrating and disappointing to Me.
However, I want you to notice what I did in this situation:
Rather than getting knocked off track by the crowds and the lack of faithful and decisive action by My disciples, I did what needed to be done for this loving father and his demon-afflicted son. I made the boy whole and freed him from the demonic spirit that troubled him. God was praised by the crowd and a family was restored — full shalom was given in the face of demonic attack!
Verses to Live
So here are several things I hope that you will take away from Luke’s telling of this event in My life.
First, because of deep disappointment with people I knew well and loved, I experienced great frustration in being brought back down to earth after having mountain-top experiences. Please remember you are not alone when you face these kinds of frustrations. I know your hurt, and I will never leave you or forsake you.
Second, good and godly people don’t always do the right thing or even realize the power available to them. It is frustrating, and they sometimes need to be sternly reminded to expect more. But don’t give up on them.
Third, remember the point in ministering to people: Don’t minister to get glory for yourself, but minister to bless those who hurt, to bring praise to the Father, and to bless the Father’s children with joy.
Before the events in the accompanying scripture, Peter, James, and John had just witnessed My transfiguration — they experienced Me in My glory with Moses and Elijah. The Father told them to listen to Me! After this glorious experience, this glimpse of kingdom power, they were soon brought back to earth by what awaited them.
They came down the mountain, and the next day yet another huge crowd gathered around Jesus. There was a man in the crowd who shouted out.
Man in Crowd:
Teacher! Please come and look at my son here, my only child. From time to time, a demonic spirit seizes him. It makes him scream and go into convulsions. He foams at the mouth. It nearly destroys him and only leaves after causing him great distress. While You were up on the mountain, I begged Your disciples to liberate him from this spirit, but they were incapable of helping us.
Jesus:
O generation faithless, twisted, and crooked, how long can I be with you? How much can I bear? Bring your boy here.
The boy had taken a few steps toward Jesus when suddenly the demon seemed to rip into the boy, throwing him into convulsions. Jesus spoke sternly to the demonic spirit, and the boy was healed. Jesus presented the boy to his father.
The crowd began cheering and discussing this amazing healing and the power of God….
(Luke 9:37-43)
Response in Prayer
O Father in heaven, I confess that I get frustrated with Your people who can’t seem to get it. I am even more frustrated with myself because I often don’t trust that You can use me to do Your great work of blessing others. So today, dear Father, I ask for a holy balance of patience and passion. I pray for personal faith to trust that You, O Father, are the great “Enabler” — that You can make my insufficiencies into effective capabilities! I pray for patience with the spiritual development of others and myself, yet ask for an urgent passion to believe that Jesus can do great things through our efforts to bless others and bring You glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.