In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, shortly after Jesus came down from the mountain where he was transfigured with Moses and Elijah, a man knelt before Jesus and begged him to heal his son who was tormented by demons.
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.”
Matthew 17:15-18Â
When I reflected on this passage during one of my prayer times, I saw myself among his disciples and I could feel the look in Jesus’ eyes, frustrated and asking me, “How long shall I be with you? How long do you need to know that I am?”
One of the downsides of living in the modern world is confusion. We live in an era of choices, plenty of them. Almost anything that you can think of from material to theoretical. Sometimes it’s easier if life is simpler, like in the generation of my parents. Simple minds – they accepted their life’s lot with resilience, hard work, patience and prayers. They believed that God has a higher purpose. They didn’t bother to search the internet for explanations or solutions. My parents just trusted the Lord and worked harder.
Jesus said, “to whom much is given, much is required.” What a responsibility of knowledge and of power. Just to clarify, I am not against an inquisitive mind. Learning, questioning and seeking are all important in life. I’m only expressing my own experience of making a decision when there’s so many options and so many voices to listen to. Who then do I trust and follow?
Jesus spent all his ministry teaching his disciples to know the Truth.
“I am the way, the truth and the life.”
John 14:6Â
Yet the disciples couldn’t heal the sick and perform miracles even if Jesus already told them that they could do anything in his name. Peter was afraid to walk on the water. The disciples ran away and hid during crunch time when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemani. It is easier to trust the world than to trust in God’s Word.
Many friends and members of the Lamb of God community here in New Zealand know my family life’s journey at the moment. Cancer affects 38.9% of men and women at some point in their lifetime. (from International Research Agency for Cancer.) Tom [my husband] is just a number in that research, at least by global statistics. But Tom is a man of God who withholds nothing for Jesus. In death or life, it’s all for Jesus – this is his mantra. He served the Lord in small and big ways, he left his job to support Roger Foley in building our community. He preached, he interceded, he helped in set up and set down for our community gatherings. Today he continues to attend meetings when his body allows him to. He continues to write.
Tom is not just a number, he’s a man who trusts the Lord. Our family could have chosen to be bitter, to follow the voice of reason. After all, google says it’s incurable. Medical reports say it’s just a matter of time. But for me and my children, we have chosen to let God use our pain and vulnerability to glorify his name.
We just successfully held our first ever National Women’s Conference. Just when I thought, I can now relax and rest after almost two years in the making, Tom’s health turned to the worst imaginable experience. Everything I have received and given during the conference is now put to the test. From worrying Mhel to a warrior Mhel “Rebrand.”
Like the disciples, I also doubted myself that I can pull through. But I remember the look in Jesus’s eyes when he told his disciples, “how long shall I show you who I am, oh you of little faith.”
That night, hope arose in me. I choose to be simple in mind. No statistics, no internet information, not even what the monitor showed above Tom’s hospital bed. I just simply chose to be still and know who is my God. And my God showed up. Tom began to regain consciousness. Small miracles start to happen. There is power in Jesus’ name.
Life will always challenge us to choose, to follow, to trust. Be wise and chose the one who speaks the Truth. Follow the one who can lead you the Way. Listen to the one who will give you Life. Jesus is asking you the same question he asked his disciples: how long do you need to know the character of God for you to believe that his love is unconditional, his mercy is new every morning, and that his power has no limit? He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Time is not our friend, make use of every single hour God gives you to know and develop a deep and lasting relationship with Jesus.
This personal reflection by Mhel Caballes is excerpted from the Lamb of God Chronicle –September 2025 Issue. Used with permission.
Top image credit: Illustration of Jesus Christ crowned with thorns and with glory, from ChristianPhotoshops.com, by © Kevin Carden 2025. Used with permission.
Mhel Caballes is a senior woman leader in the Lamb of God community in New Zealand. Mhel and her husband Tom and their two daughters [and son-in-law and grand-children] live in Wellington, New Zealand.