Jesus was speaking to His disciples concerning offenses and forgiveness. They probably looked at themselves and wondered if it were possible for them to forgive seven trespasses in a day. How about one trespass? They requested of Jesus, "Increase our faith." Luke 17:5. At least, they did not simply dismiss the teaching. They asked for help with the teaching. Do we on occasion have difficulty with the teaching of Jesus and need more faith to do what He says? We live in a world where at times there appears to be more hate than love, more bad than good, and more distance than closeness. This teaching in Luke 17:1-5 is personal. Jesus wants me to forgive those who offend me if they ask for my forgiveness. Not just one time, but as often as is needed. And, within the framework of that teaching and other teaching, I need more faith. When I view the world scene and see all the horror, I need more faith. When I see people dismissing God and plunging into destruction, I need more faith. There are moments, perhaps, in the lives of all of us where we have the faith, or lack of faith, of Peter walking on the stormy water. We want to have at all times the faith of the Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace. A request of more faith is a yielding to God and His help. The disciples knew that they would have difficulty with the action that Jesus was calling them to make. They needed His help because they would be unable by themselves to follow this teaching. You and I cannot live the life that Jesus wants us to live and needs us to live by ourselves. We need His help. My prayer is, "Lord, increase my faith."
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