Re:Verse passage – Matthew 17:14-21 (day four)
Jesus has just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration. He is beginning a teaching time with His disciples that deals with principles of living that will go through chapter 20. In His first lesson, He deals with faith and prayer.
When Jesus rebuked the disciples for their littleness of faith, He proclaimed that even faith the size of a mustard seed (very small) could do great things. Their faith had not even reached that small measure. He then says that only prayer can cast out this kind of demon. Later in Scripture, James, the half-brother of Jesus, repeats the same lesson that Jesus taught. In James 5:16 it says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Jesus had just returned from an extended time with God. His prayer…communing with God…prepared Him to face the needs of the world. We must have prayer preparation in everything…we are powerless without God. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5)
