Scripture Union Daily Guide 4th July 2021 Sunday Message
Topic: Why Did It Not Happen
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Opening Prayer: Oh Lord, fill me with the power of the Holy Ghost as I study your word.
Scripture: Matthew 17:14 – 27
Question(s) for Reflection
• What is God revealing to me in this passage?
Take time to look back and write down some of your unanswered prayers. How do you feel about them? The disciples must have prayed earnestly for the healing of the epileptic boy. They probably prayed with confidence following their previous experience (10:1; compare Mark 6:13). These were the disciples of the greatest rabbi, Jesus Christ, yet they failed totally. Picture how the disciple felt before the crowd. Imagine also how the father must have felt about them. It is not easy being in such situation.
No wonder they asked Jesus, “why?” Our lives, like the disciples’, are also full of ups and downs, mountain-top, glorious experience one day, but valley-of-life frustrations the next day tempting us to ask, “why?”. How, according to v.20, can we avoid these frustrations? The power to cast out demons or heal diseases is in Jesus. It is neither in us, nor in the greatness of our faith. The temple tax was a half-shekel paid annually by adult males. The money was used initially for the upkeep of the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 30:11-16) and later for the Temple. What can we learn from Jesus’ attitude to taxation (vs.25-27)?
Practice/Word Application
• Meditation: Why do I have unanswered prayers?
• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?
Closing Prayer
• God, we pray for a greater manifestation of your power in the church. • Pray for Christian Ministries that either provide free Bibles or are involved in Bible translation into ethnic languages such as Gideon International, Bible Society of Nigeria, etc.
Offer a prayer of faith in line with Psalm 68:35; Deut. 22-24; Acts 5:22-42
Scripture Union Daily Guide 4th July 2021. Scripture Union is an international, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian organization. It was founded in 1867, and works in partnership with individuals and churches across the world. The organization’s stated aim is to use the Bible to inspire children, young people and adults to know God
