Matthew 17:14-20
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt in front of him. “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son because he has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to cure him.” Jesus answered, “O unbelieving and perverse generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of the boy, and he was cured from that hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why were we unable to drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen I tell you: If you have faith like a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Forgive us when our prayers focus on ourselves and our actions. We tend to ask for your help, but when our prayer is not answered as we had hoped, we question our own prayer. Did we not use the right words? Did I not trust what I said enough? Implying that if we choose the perfect words, it will help you solve our problems.
Forgive us when we rely on ourselves; turn our attention to you, who supplies everything we need for life. When we sin, guide us to your Son, who has redeemed us and died for our sins—so that all our transgressions are completely forgiven. In matters of our faith, we ask your Holy Spirit to lead and strengthen us, making us fully centered on you. Forgive us when we doubt your power to answer our prayers.
Lord, our greatest need was forgiveness of sins, which You sent Your Son to overcome for us by living the perfect life of love we could never live. Then He took all our sins into Himself as He suffered and died on the cross for us. Let our faith be united in trusting how You overcame the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh so that You accomplished the impossible—making heaven available to all who believe in Jesus. There is nothing in this world or in our lives that is more valuable than the forgiveness of sins. Thank you for making salvation possible for all who believe.
We ask that you heal and restore those who are possessed by their sins. We look to you and request that you remove their mountain of sin and doubt, which prevents them from entering your kingdom; let us share the good news of salvation with them and send your Holy Spirit to them so they believe in Jesus. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
The biggest problem is our doubts when we don’t believe God will or wants to do something, or when our requests are purely self-centered. When God is with you through faith, Jesus says nothing is impossible for us.