You’ve tried.
You prayed. Maybe more than once. Maybe you even asked others to pray.
And nothing changed.
So now you’re left with that quiet question you don’t really want to say out loud.
Why didn’t it work?
Let’s see what the Scripture actually says.
“And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.”
Luke 9:37–43 (KJV)
“I besought thy disciples… and they could not”
This is where the tension sits.
The father already tried.
He went to the disciples. The same ones who were just given authority earlier in this chapter.
And still… nothing happened.
That matters.
Because failure didn’t stop the situation from being brought to Jesus.
Do you see that?
The failure wasn’t final.
“O faithless and perverse generation”
Jesus responds strongly.
Not to the father alone. To the environment around Him.
“Faithless.”
That means something is missing.
“Perverse.”
That means something is out of alignment.
This isn’t just about ability. It’s about what’s going on underneath.
That’s not what most people expect, is it?
“Bring thy son hither”
Jesus doesn’t debate.
He doesn’t analyze why it failed first.
He says, bring him here.
This shifts the focus.
From what didn’t happen… to what He’s about to do.
Are you still focused on the failure… or bringing it to Him?
“As he was yet a coming… the devil threw him down”
This is important.
Things get worse right before the breakthrough.
The boy convulses again.
The situation intensifies.
That doesn’t mean it’s not working.
It doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
It happens as he’s coming to Jesus.
Have you ever seen that?
“Jesus rebuked… and healed the child”
No delay.
No struggle.
He speaks. The spirit leaves. The child is healed.
And then he’s given back to his father.
Restored.
What couldn’t happen before… happens in a moment.
What’s happening in this moment
This takes place right after the transfiguration.
Jesus comes down the mountain into a crowd and into a problem that wasn’t solved.
The disciples had already been given authority in Luke 9:1.
But here, they didn’t see results.
So this moment exposes something.
Authority was given… but something in their faith or alignment wasn’t right.
And Jesus addresses that directly.
Scripture that helps you see it clearer
In Mark 9:29, the same event adds this:
“This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
There’s a depth here that goes beyond surface action.
In Matthew 17:20,
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
So the issue isn’t size of faith. It’s presence of it.
In James 1:6,
“Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.”
That shows how internal movement affects external results.
The part that hits close
This is where it gets uncomfortable.
Because you can have the instruction.
You can even step out.
And still not see it happen.
That creates tension.
“Did I miss something?”
“Is this actually real?”
So over time, you pull back.
You stop expecting.
Is that where you are right now?
Have you let one moment shape what you believe is possible?
What this is calling you into
This isn’t telling you to ignore what happened.
It’s showing you what to do next.
“Bring thy son hither.”
Bring it again.
Not with frustration. Not with doubt leading.
But bringing it to Him.
It also points to alignment.
Faith that’s not just words, but settled.
A life that’s connected, not distracted.
That might mean going deeper than surface-level belief.
What would it look like for you to bring that same situation back… instead of writing it off?
Bringing it back to you
The disciples couldn’t cast it out.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
Jesus stepped in, and everything changed.
So failure didn’t define the outcome.
It revealed where something needed to shift.
And the answer wasn’t to stop.
It was to come again.
So when something hasn’t moved the way you expected… are you stepping back, or are you still willing to bring it to Him?
Call to Action: The Question That Demands an AnswerIn Acts 2:37 Peter and the Apostles were asked the question – What Shall We do? And in Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Do you understand this? After hearing the gospel and believing, they asked what should would do. The answer hasn’t changed friend, Peter clearly gave the answer. The question for you today is, Have you receieved the Holy Spirit Since you believed? If you’re ready to take that step, or you want to learn more about what it means to be born again of water and Spirit, visit: Come, and let the Spirit make you new. |
