Today’s Reading, Mark 10-11
Focal Scripture: Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
How would you describe your foundational belief system? When you ask that question, most people who are believers would say that God can do anything he wants. When it comes to prayer, they might even say that God can do anything but he probably won’t do it because of ……, you can fill in the blank with what you have heard or even what you might believe. Prayer can get very tricky when you begin to over analyze its truth in your life.
In today’s reading Jesus makes the statement that his disciples should believe that anything they pray for and ask for they will receive it from the Lord. Jesus tells them this because he wants his disciples to understand that when they pray and have problems with another person they need to forgive them. Why? Because God will forgive them of their sins. Prayer leads to introspection and forgiveness. Prayer is powerful and prayer changes our thinking. Prayer is belief in a holy God to do wondrous works.
So what type of prayers do you pray? Do you pray to meet a need or do you pray expecting God to work in your life and the life of others. Remember what Jesus said, prayer is an avenue to unlimited power. It is a way for believers to access the resources of our Father in Heaven.
Notice that these prayers are not selfish. They are prayers that serve a purpose. They glorify the Lord and are in line with his character. God wants to unleash his goodness and glory on the world. The fig tree in this account was cursed because it didn’t produce fruit. It played the part of a tree that was ready to be fruit bearing but internally was corrupt.
Jesus wants us to pray and believe that we will be heard and answered. Not because it brings us glory but because it magnifies his power and his name. So how do you pray? Do you believe he is the one who answers or do you believe he is limited in his power?
Jesus gives his expectations for prayer. Are you meeting them?
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Mark 12-13
