Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21
“For the pious, my beloved, it is always good to occupy themselves with the holy doctrines, teaching the fear of God and leading us in the right ways which are pleasing unto God. And especially with the stories of the memory of the works of the Saints, who lived well with God and were perfect in the holy service. For there is nothing of such profit to the pious soul as such meditations which show forth the excellent life and holy works and humble habit of monasticism.
For it is well known that there is no small consolation to be gathered from [an examination] as to how they lived and pleased God in humbleness; how they persisted in patience and in that love, which is a perfect sign of being a disciple of Christ, and in great works; how they persevered in steady and long fasting, how they humbled themselves in performing abundant services beloved by God. Not only blessed men have been seen doing this, but there have also been found women in all generations shining like stars in the whole world.”
In the “The Story of the Holy Hilaria, the daughter of king Zeno” translated from the Syriac.
In today’s Scripture, we find the disciples struggling against the spiritual forces of evil. Jesus teaches them that their difficulty linked to the littleness of their faith. Ho can it grow? It grows with prayer and fasting.
The story of Hilaria is about a girl who practiced “steady and long fasting” and did many wonderful services for God’s people, including heal her sister. She was daughter of Roman Emperor, Zeno.
She disquised herself as a man to become a monk. Why? She was pious and her story is recounted to inspire future pious people. In plain terms, she was deeply committed to God and wanted to join a community serving Him.
What about you? Are you around people who are deeply committed to God and willing to sacrifice everything for Him? Do you face adversity that can only be conquered by prayer and fasting?
Any generosity that flows from us must be rooted in deep faith and strengthened by prayer and fasting, so that what we request is a proclamation of what we see in the heart of God and in accordance with His will.
Yesterday we hoped to train 70 trainers with the contextualized generosity curriculum. God brought 118 people to Salima, Malawi (see above). They loved the 3 sample lessons the national trainers shared and the Palmful of Maize vision.
Tomorrow is the Palmful of Maize launch event. Fast and pray with us that 2 workers from 28 districts across Malawi can make it along with influential workers from across the capital city of Lilongwe.
We had torrential rains last night and had difficulty getting into the city. But we made it by God’s grace. Though the rains are continuing to come down and may cause flooding. God help us.