Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Why are the Galatians so stupid (and why are we)? Why did they turn aside from the Spirit toward the flesh? Clearly the power of the Spirit was known to them. They experienced many things, indeed they witnessed mighty deeds, the origin of which was the Spirit. Why revert to the flesh? It is important that we try to understand so that we can avoid this risk ourselves.
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
Perhaps in relying on the Spirit they were unprepared to persevere. Maybe they gave up immediately the first time the Spirit didn't solve their problems immediately. After that they just turned to what they knew, the flesh and the law, to solve their problems in a way that they felt they understood and could control.
We, like the Galatians, have seen Jesus Christ publicly portrayed as crucified. We too have received the Spirit because of our faith in what we've heard. And we too are tempted to give up when the bread is not given immediately, when the door does not open at once, or when we ask but are made to wait.
Paul's point to the Galatians was that their old fleshly ways of solving problems couldn't solve the problems that truly matter. Only the Spirit given by Jesus could give the Galatians what they really wanted. So too with us. So what do we do when life gets hard and we are tempted to forget about God and rely on ourselves instead? At such times we need to have faith in the goodness of our loving Father. We need to ask and keep asking and to knock and keep knocking, as Scripture says.
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
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