Before Amen by Max Lucado

Author:Max Lucado
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2014-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Jesus never refused an intercessory request. Ever! Peter brought concerns for his sick mother-in-law. The centurion brought a request for his sick servant. Jairus had a sick daughter. A woman from Canaan had a demon-possessed daughter. From sunrise to sunset Jesus heard one appeal after another: “My uncle cannot walk.” “My son cannot see.” “My wife is in pain.” He heard so many requests that at times the disciples attempted to turn people away (Matt. 15:22–23). Yet Jesus would not let them. “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them” (Matt. 15:30 NIV).

He never grew impatient at the requests. But he did grow impatient at the lack of one.

A father once brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples of Jesus. They attempted to help the boy but failed. When Jesus learned of their failure, he erupted in frustration. “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me” (Matt. 17:17).

Such an outburst! Jesus is so überpatient that any sign of impatience is disconcerting. What was the oversight of the disciples? Simple. They never took the boy to Jesus. Not in person and apparently not in prayer. They attempted to heal the boy without calling on Christ. He had to command them: “Bring him here to Me.”

Jesus had a strong word for this: unbelief. “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief’ ” (vv. 19–20).

Unbelief: attempting to help others without calling on Jesus.

Belief: pounding on God’s door at midnight. Doing whatever it takes to present people to Jesus.

À la Moses on Sinai. When God saw the golden calf stunt, he was ready to wipe out the nation of Israel. They were eyewitnesses to ten plagues and one Red Sea opening. Their bellies were full of God-given manna and heaven-sent quail, but did they remember their Deliverer? No, they danced the night away in front of a homemade statue.

God was not happy.

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