Remember how Peter wanted to build a tent? He wanted to stay in the moment with Moses and Elijah, but there was so much ministry to do. They move from the Transfiguration to a child with a demon, being shattered continuously, time after time, with so little hope. The disciples were powerless, and yet here is Jesus, with power for all. Jesus doesn't stay on the mountaintop, but he is there. Jesus doesn't stay in the valley, either, but he is there. Wherever you find yourself, you can trust that Jesus has been there, and that he has power there. I often find myself asking why I don't see or sense Jesus at work in the times when we so desperately need him -- I'm like the father, wondering why, seeking help, and I'm like the child, shattered by other forces. We've all been there.
For the father, and for the child, there was a time when the unclean spirit overpowered the child, and they cried out and found no help -- the last time this happened, they didn't know that Jesus would heal the child before the unclean spirit came again. They probably thought that it would come again, painfully, tragically, just like it had the time before. The cycle continues, they likely thought, but they went to Jesus anyway, hoping, praying. What if they'd given up?
What if we give up? God is constantly at work, sometimes in ways we don't recognize, sometimes in ways we do. What if we gave up just before God did something amazing? What if we stopped looking? Faithfulness isn't always easy, patience with God can be trying. We all understand that. But steadfastly clinging to the Gospel is the wise thing to do, I believe, because the Gospel is the only thing we have seen in thousands of years of human history that can overcome death. No one else has done that and promised that there is a way available to us. So while it may seem dark in the midst of the night, that doesn't mean that dawn is not coming. God has promised, and God has a history of keeping God's promises.
So cling to Christ. Trust in him.
