Friday January 26, 2024
Luke 17:5
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
We see from the Gospels that there was nothing for which Jesus so often upbraided His disciples as for their lack of faith. Undoubtedly there is nothing by which we grieve Jesus oftener than by our lack of faith.
It must wound Him when His children stand at His cross with their daily failings and do not find rest and peace. He hangs there bleeding, in deepest humiliation, and cries out with all the power which the cross possesses: “My grace is sufficient for thee. You need nothing more. God Himself has taken your place. Though your sins be as scarlet, in my blood they shall be white as snow.”
And we have nothing else to do but to bow our heads a little more humbly and say: “Lord, increase our faith!”
Or we struggle against the sinful habits of each day, go down to defeat, doubt, or find ourselves regularly in the quagmire of despair. This must without question grieve Him who has said: “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. I will forgive you without counting how often I have already forgiven you.”
You, dear children of God, can you understand why we do not go to Him at once, that He may raise us up and give us fresh courage to begin anew? Oh, yes, we understand why well enough; it is because we can’t believe.
Or we go about our daily work. And oftentimes it seems such a burden. Partly because it is hard to live and work in a world of sin. Partly because we cannot master our work as we would and should.
What is wrong? We have forgotten to exercise faith. We struggle on from day to day in our own human strength. And the unlimited powers of heaven are at our disposal. But we do not make use of them.
Those who in childlike faith call down upon their daily life and work the powers of heaven, they can live in the midst of the difficulties and trials of each day with a quiet and cheerful disposition, constantly amazed at what the power of Christ can do.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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