Pray big

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith….” –Matthew 17:19-20a (NIV)

Ouch! Leave it to Jesus to call it what it is. The Great Redeemer and Lover of our souls loved His disciples too much to sugar-coat His answer to their question. They had seen a lot and they had done a lot. Jesus had empowered them and given them authority to perform many miraculous signs.

But they were stumped on this one. Was this demon stronger than demons they had faced previously? Was there something about this father that made him seem unworthy to have his boy cured of his seizures? Were the disciples tired, ready for a hot meal and a soft bed after a long day? Had they become jaded to success (Say the words, get the outcome, witness the gratitude, move on)?

We don’t know the specifics, but it isn’t hard to imagine any of those scenarios. Bottom line, according to Jesus: Faith too small. When the Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land, they had the same problem. It cost them forty years in the wilderness.


We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. –Numbers 13:33b (NIV)

Lord, forgive me for my baby faith, my grasshopper dreams, my shortsighted prayers, my tired endurance. Remind me of Your power and Your glory. Place in my heart the confidence to pray big and act as if the ask has already been accomplished.

Prayer starts with the understanding that “we are weak, but He is strong!” With that in mind,

  • Pray often (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Prayer needs to be a first response, not a last resort - whatever the situation.

  • Pray big (Mark 11: 22-24). We do not presume upon God’s will, but we are encouraged to be bold in our requests.

  • Pray with eternity in our hearts (Matthew 6:10). When engaging in intercessory prayer, don’t limit the topics to matters of health, relationships, and finances. Far more important is how God may be using circumstances to form lives and advance His Kingdom.

Here are some of my big-ticket items for unified prayer (Matthew 18:19-20):

  • Revival in our land as church leaders, business leaders, and governmental leaders are moved by the Spirit to wholeheartedly turn their agendas over to God.

  • The cultural conviction (as the science and medicine catch up to what we have long known), that abortion is an abomination our nation needs to repent of.

  • Creativity and perseverance for God's people to be on mission to ensure everyone on the planet has opportunity to respond to the gospel of Christ.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. –Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Scott Thompson