Questions
Fasting prayer (Mk 9:14-29; Mt 17:14-21)
(Questions for meditation)
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How different was Jesus’ reaction this time from the previous incidents when the disciples were challenged by the scribes and the Pharisees? (Mark 2:23-25; 7:5-6)
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What did Jesus blame his disciples for? In the miracles from Mark Chapters 4-8, in which ones was ‘faith’ mentioned? What does it indicate regarding Jesus’ complaint?
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Why did the son’s father lose faith? How did Jesus help restore his faith? What did he do to mend his faith problem?
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Have you ever lost your faith in the Lord’s grace and power and then later picked up your faith again? What made you restore your faith?
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How did Jesus demonstrate ‘faith’ before everyone? In the midst of the healing, what happened and how did people react? How did the matter end and what do you think the people’s reaction in the end? What spiritual lesson have you learned from the course of the healing?
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Did the disciples have enough power to drive out the evil spirit? Why did they fail to do so? (Mark 3:14-15, 6:7)
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Please review two cases in OT concerning fasting prayer (Esther 3:12-13, 4:3,15-16; Jonah 3:1-9). Judging from the above two cases, what is the meaning and effect of fasting prayer in your understanding? How is it different from prayer without fasting?
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From the passage in today’s meditation, where can you see the important relationship between faith and fasting prayer?
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Have you ever exercised fasting prayer before? For what matter? How did you feel in the course of fasting prayer? How was your feeling different from your normal prayer?