Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the nerve cell activity in brain is disturbed, causing a seizure during which experience abnormal behaviour symptoms and sensations, including loss of consciousness. Some people with epilepsy simply stare blankly for a few seconds during a seizure, while others repeatedly twitch their arms or legs.
Many years back I have seen patients attacked with epilepsy. That was really sad and frightening situation. At that time I heard that cause of epilepsy is demon and people used to make the patient to hold bunch of keys, because they believed that demon will go away once iron keys are in the hand.
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Matthew 17
14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,
15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
16 And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell 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 for you.”
From the father’s words “he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water”, it is obvious that the boy’s condition was a difficult situation. Just imagine what will be the situation and struggling when a person attacked with epilepsy fall into the fire or water. If that also with demon, then the situation is very dangerous. The father also reports to Jesus that his disciples were unable to cure his son. When the father told Jesus about the disciples inability to heal the boy, he wasn’t pleased. In response to the father’s statement Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” This sentence shows how much was Jesus hurt when he heard that his disciples were unable to cure the boy. Jesus’ response seems stern; but it is really tempered with love and compassion. We see at once Jesus’ dismay with the disciples’ lack of faith and his concern to meet the need of this troubled boy and his father. With one word of command Jesus rebukes the evil spirit that has caused this boy’s affliction and tells the spirit to “never enter him again”.
What kind of faith does the Lord expect of us, especially when we meet set-backs and trials? Inevitably there are times when each of us disappoint others or disappoint ourselves when we suffer some kind of set- back or failure. If we pray with expectant faith God will give us the means to overcome difficulties and obstacles.
The father was struggling to have faith due to the longevity and severity of the boy’s affliction. Sometimes we also struggle to have faith in Jesus. We pray, but Satan try to make us fool with wrong thoughts against prayer and Jesus. He try to destroy our faith in Jesus. At that time Jesus will ask us also “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you?”. Sometimes when we do not get healing or answer from Jesus as expected timely, we also ask to Jesus like his disciples asked “Why could we not cast it out?”. Jesus will immediately answer to us “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” it would have surely happened.
So let us pray to Jesus for strong faith and trust in Jesus.
“Lord Jesus, help my unbelief! Increase my faith and trust in your saving power. Give me confidence and perseverance, especially in prayer. And help me to bring your healing love and truth to those I meet, Amen”.
When you meet trials and disappointments how do you respond? Do you pray with faith and trust in Jesus?
Lord Of The Sick Saviour Of The World 