After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.” (Mark 9:28-29)
I was just thinking about the disciples today. They had failed miserably trying to cast out a demon.
The reason?
Apparently, they were trying to cast the demon out on their own authority. By their own power. And it never occurred to them to pray.
It made me think, though, how often am I that way? How often, instead of relying on God and his power, am I relying on myself?
How often is it my first instinct to pray? Not just when I face problems bigger than me. But all the time.
Father, let me never try to live a self-sufficient life. Help me to always live a you-dependent life.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 