“Yeshua answered them, “Yes! I tell you, if you have trust and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree; but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ it will be done. In other words, you will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.”” (Matthew 21:21–22, CJB)
When I read passages like this, I stand back in silence. I’ve never moved a mountain by speaking to it. I don’t have any official historical record of anyone else doing it. So, how am I to take such verses … I take them by faith and realize that Jesus is trying to pull us UP into a new level of faith. Remember, (check it out please) that He had just shriveled up a fig tree because it didn’t have any breakfast snacks for the One who gives life to all.
Therefore, Jesus powerfully shows that, despite what I’ve read by a lot of doubting Thomas theologians, Jesus meant what He said. In fact, He repeatedly sought to encourage His disciples with the prompt, “You’ll do greater things that I have.” Thus, it’s time to upgrade my prayer life with a boost of faith! Would you join me?
Two things pop out here to me …
- If I have trust and don’t doubt.
Ah, there’s the rub. I often doubt that God would even want to give me what I ask for. I’ve been taught by the faithless for so long – it started when I was young and continued through my “formal education” when my professors kept talking about how this was a “metaphor for faith” and not literal. As I read comments from others “wiser than I am,” I see the same lack of faith. Doubt seems to be ingrained in much of the teaching of those who can’t get anything to happen in their prayer life.
But, Jesus calls us to put our trust in Him and our Father in Heaven. That requires us to refocus on His character. He didn’t make us so we could constantly focus on our sniveling sinfulness. Are we sinful? Sure. Does a good father keep the focus of their child on their failures or on a future filled with hope and possibility? The latter is the human tendency of a good father, and so it is for us with our Father in Heaven. So, trust Him more every day, as Jesus had already sought to ingrain in His followers:
“So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!” (Matthew 7:11, CJB)
- I will receive everything I ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided I have trust.
What? Talk about something that scares me … this is it! EVERYTHING? Yes, the Greek for “everything” means “everything.” So, what am I asking God for? Have I become so doubt-filled that my prayer list (do I even have one) is littered with the inconsequential or infinitesimal?
Another problem I have is self-centeredness when it comes to prayer. God longs for us to move His Kingdom forward. He waits for us to pray for those around us in need. Am I doing that?
This is a powerful promise: “You will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.”
Am I treating this promise with the power and sincerity it deserves? Am I trusting God to do GREAT things through me? Do my prayers reflect that? Have I figured out how much God has authorized and entrusted to me? Doesn’t that enliven my spirit and strengthen my faith?
Truly, it’s time to take His words to Supreme Commander Joshua Nunson seriously:
“Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”” (Joshua 1:8–9, CJB)
What do you say? What are your thoughts? Post them below! Encourage others!
