This reading plan takes you from a heavenly peak to the raw reality of the valley. From glory to disappointment. But above all, to the discovery that faith doesn’t start with great confidence in yourself, but with radical trust in God. With humor, Bible verses, and honest questions, this plan helps you become small enough to believe big.
Vernuftige Werken
Day 1
Scriptures: Judges 6:11-16, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Corinthians 5:7, John 3:16
No Glimpse, No Glory!
One of the greatest philosophers in American sports (I mean, Yogi Berra) once said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” Now, I’m not entirely sure what he meant by that, but I completely understand the idea that sometimes you need to catch a glimpse of something before you can… well… truly see its possibilities.
It was the same for this guy named Gideon. He didn’t think much of himself, but God saw something in him. God didn’t see Gideon for what he was—He saw him for what he could be, for what he maybe even secretly wanted to be, and more than that: for what God intended to make of him. God had already caught a glimpse of what Gideon would become.
The disciples of Jesus, of course, had already caught quite a few glimpses of who He really was and what He had come to do. But in today’s story, they get to see much more than just a glimpse! Not just a small flash, but a full-blown revelation of Jesus—not as a rabbi or just a man—but as none other than the Son of God.
Wow…the Bible says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” That’s true, but still, our faith is often built on what we hope to see—or on the small glimpses we’ve already caught. And even more, we get to look over the shoulders of Peter, James, and John and witness what they saw, and hear what they have heard!
And here’s the thing: you can observe a lot by just watching. When you understand and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came to show us the way, to teach us, and to take us—straight through death itself—into new life with Him, you begin to grasp the importance of what happens here, on this mountain. Because then you start to see what He sees in you and me.
And that’s the last “glimpse” for today. May you catch a glimpse of what God—what Jesus—sees in you. You are so deeply loved that He came for you, stepping down the mountain just for you. Will you let Him in?
Day 2
Scriptures: Matthew 17:14-18, Luke 24:13-35
Deep Fryer Disasters and Facepalms
When I was eighteen, my parents went on their first vacation together, and my brother and I got to stay home. We felt so grown-up! Of course, within a week, the grocery money was gone, the whole house reeked of deep fryer oil, and we almost forgot what a shower was for.
The day before my parents came back, we decided it was time for action. We did twenty loads of laundry, strung clotheslines all over the attic, tackled the dishes, fired up the vacuum cleaner… but no matter how hard we worked, it just didn’t get truly clean.
I still remember the look on my father’s face when he walked through the door. Fresh off the plane, his heart full of vacation stories, with a big smile on his face. Until he saw the house. What a disaster. His smile disappeared, and I swear his shoulders dropped a couple of inches.
I imagine that Jesus felt a bit like that when He came down the mountain after His transfiguration. Up there, everything was heavenly. But down below, chaos was waiting: a boy in desperate need, disciples who just didn’t get it. You can almost picture Jesus doing a facepalm and saying, “Can’t I leave you alone for one moment?!”
Things got sorted out between my dad and us—after we scrubbed and cleaned every inch of the house. Things also got sorted out between Jesus and His disciples. Despite His disappointment, He healed the boy and continued teaching them.
That’s what I think is so remarkable about Jesus. He might express frustration, but He always follows it up by showing who He truly is and how much He loves us. Like with those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, after His resurrection. At first, they didn’t even recognize Him. During their conversation, Jesus suddenly says, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe!” But just a little later, He opens their eyes. They see who He is.
When was the last time you had a facepalm moment with God? A moment where you thought, “He must be so disappointed in me that it’s beyond repair.” Today, I invite you to face that moment and bring it honestly before God. That’s when you’ll discover God’s hand is not a facepalm of frustration, but a palm of love, stretched out to protect you.
Day 3
Scriptures: Matthew 17:19-[21], Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 16:8, John 3:30
The Mustard Seed Mindset
Sometimes, the words of Jesus can really hit hard. Like when He says, “Your faith is too small.” Not even as small as a mustard seed—no, even smaller. Ouch.
And a mustard seed is tiny: barely a millimeter wide. Minuscule. Yet Jesus says, if you had faith like a mustard seed, then… And there’s the key. It’s not about the size of the mustard seed, but the kind of faith—faith like a mustard seed.
A mustard seed is utterly dependent. It does nothing on its own strength. No pretensions, no grand plans. It falls into the soil and trusts completely in the sun, rain, earth, and the care of a gardener. That’s the kind of faith Jesus wants to see in us: completely reliant on Him—not on our own abilities.
It’s striking that Jesus often calls His disciples “you of little faith.” When they worry (Matt. 6), when they’re afraid in the storm (Matt. 8), or when they forget to bring lunch (Matt. 16). And each time, the issue is the same: they believe more in their own abilities—or lack thereof—than in the greatness of God.
So no, the faith Jesus is looking for isn’t greater confidence in your own faith, but a greater trust in the One who is truly trustworthy. It’s faith that knows it is radically dependent on Him. Like a child who still understands how dependent they are. Like a seed that knows it can’t make itself grow.
When we think, “Why didn’t it work?” like the disciples asked, there’s often a hidden belief behind it: that it would have worked if we had done better. But Jesus rejects that harsh thinking. Faith is not more of us. It is all of Him. John, one of the disciples who eventually understood this, wrote, “He must become greater; I must become less.” He bigger, me smaller… Or as Pete Greig puts it: “I’d rather have a small faith in a big, unshakable God than a big, unshakable faith in something unworthy of the title.”
Where do you notice that your faith is mostly based on what you can (or can’t) do? And how could you choose today to embrace the dependence of a mustard seed?