Daily Devotional For Thursday, May 9, 2024

Well, it is now Thursday. Where has this week gone? I want to pick up where we left off yesterday. Jesus said some pretty outlandish statements to some people. For example, He said this in Mark 11:20-24:

“As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. (21) And Peter remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, `Have faith in God. (23) Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (24) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’” (ESV).

That is some statement about faith. What mountain is Jesus talking about here? Mt. Nebo? Mt. Everest? Mt. Mitchell? The Mount of Olives, which would have been visible form the Dead Sea. On the surface it seems if we ask in faith we can move mountains that are in our way. Well, let me add some context here. Jesus is teaching His disciples of the power that is available to them when they pray. Mark 11:22-24 takes place on Wednesday of Holly Week as Jesus and His disciples were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem. In two days, Jesus will be crucified, die and be buried. So the question is: why would Jesus insert a lesson about prayer at this point?

Well, as I said above, in two days Jesus is murdered and He would no longer be physically present with them. Throughout His ministry, Jesus stressed the importance of prayer starting in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus’ physical presence with them probably had restrained their need for prayer since they had God in the flesh with them. They could ask Him anything while He was with them. But the familiar experience of His presence with them was about to change. They were going to go from having Christ present all the time to not having Him present at all. They would become like believers of all future generations, who depend solely on prayer to access God’s power and provision for their needs. Like them, the disciples would become totally dependent on one whom they could not see, especially after He ascended back to heaven.

Earlier, Jesus had cursed the fig tree while they were traveling. On the way back, the disciples discovered it had died and this generated took this moment for Jesus to teach them about the importance of prayer. As Jesus often did, He uses a hyperbole or an analogy or a figure of speech here to teach His disciples about the power that is available when we pray. In Jesus’ days, Jewish rabbis who were serious prayer warriors and God used them to solve difficult situation we called by the Jews “removers or rooters up of mountains.” Pastor and author John MacArthur sheds some light on this:

The Lord’s point is that when confronted by an overwhelming issue without an apparent human solution, if a believer does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, his prayer request will be granted him. The doubt to which Jesus referred is not, as many false teachers assert, doubting one’s faith. Faith in itself has no power; it merely accesses God’s power. The caution here is against doubting God’s nature and power. James writes that those who pray “must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” — James 1:6-8, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (ESV)

The faith required to activate God’s power need not be great faith. Peter’s faith was strong enough to enable him to climb out of a boat in the midst of a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:29). Yet his faith failed before he reached Jesus (v. 30), causing the Lord to label it “little faith” (v. 31). The father of a demon-possessed boy expressed doubt as to whether Jesus could deliver his son (Mark 9:22). After Jesus said to him, “All things are possible to him who believes,” thus rebuking his weak faith (v. 23), “immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief’” (v. 24). That weak, imperfect faith was enough; Jesus cast the demon out of the boy (vv. 25–27). 

The Lord also rebuked the disciples for having little faith in God’s provision (Matt. 6:30; 16:8–10; Luke 12:28), protection (Matt. 8:26), and power (Matt. 17:20), as well as in their own ability to humbly forgive others (Luke 17:5–6). No one’s faith is perfect, unmixed with doubt. But even weak but confidently prayerful faith in the person and power of God is enough to draw down heaven’s power” — Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Mark,” pp. 145-146).

Many have misinterpreted Jesus’ words here as this is some kind of carte blanche guarantee that we can be selfish, greedy, and prideful and God will grant our prayer request. Jesus repeatedly made it clear that whatever we ask God for must be consistent with God’s will. Jesus said this to His disciples in the Upper Room in John 14:13-14,  “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it” (ESV). To ask in Jesus’ name means we only ask what Jesus would ask. The Life Application Bible Commentary sheds some light on this:

The kind of prayer Jesus meant was not the arbitrary wish to move a mountain; instead, he was referring to prayers that the disciples would need to endlessly pray as they faced mountains of opposition to their gospel message in the years to come. Their prayers for the advancement of God’s kingdom would always be answered positively—in God’s timing.

C.S. Lewis said this: “Prayers are not always granted—in the crude factual sense of the word—"granted.” This is not because prayer is a weaker kind of causality, but because it is a stronger kind. When it “works” at all, it works unlimited by space and time. That is why God has retained a discretionary power of granting or refusing it; except on that condition prayer would destroy us” (Source: Life Application Bible Commentary, “ Mark,” p. 326).

If you are going to pray the impossible, the kind that moves “mountains,” that kind of effective prayer requires that you meet some conditions based on 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing” (NLT). Here are those conditions:

• You must be a believer.
• You must not be holding a grudge against another person.
• You must not pray with selfish motives.
• Your request must be for the good of God’s kingdom.
• Your request must be in line with God’s will and accepting of whatever that will might be.
• To pray effectively, you need faith in God, not faith in the object of your request. If you focus only on your request, you will be left with nothing if your request is refused” (Source: Life Application Bible Commentary, “ Mark,” p. 326).

What do you think of this story about faith from now deceased television personality Larry King:

Television interviewer and journalist Larry King describes three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet every morning to lift up their request to God.

One morning an uninvited stranger approaches and asks the men what they are doing. They respond, "We're praying for rain.” The newcomer looks at each of them and shakes his head, "No, I don't think so.” The first farmer says, "Of course we're praying. We are down on our knees pleading for rain. Look around, see the drought. We haven't had rain in more than a year!"

The outsider continues to nod his head and advises them their efforts will never work. The second farmer jumps in and says, "We need the rain; we aren't asking only for ourselves, but for our families and livestock.” The man listens, nods, and says he still isn't impressed. "You're wasting your time," he says.

The third farmer can't take any more, and in anger he says, "Okay, what would you do if you were in our shoes?” The visitor asks, "You really want to know?” The three landowners answer, "We really want to know! The future of our farmlands is at stake.” The guest announces, "I would have brought an umbrella!” (Source: Larry King, Powerful Prayers (Renaissance Books, 1998), p. 243).

Questions to Consider

1. What is the hardest part to you when it comes to praying in faith?
2. What “mountains” do you need moved in your life?
3. Do you always pray with pure motives? Why or why not?
4. With very little faith according to Jesus, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the surface of the water before he sank. What does that tell you?
5. Where does Jesus need to help you with your “unbelief?”

Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 7:7-8, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. (8) Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, just like Peter got distracted by the size of the waves when he was walking on the water, I too get distracted when I pray. Please help me to keep my eyes on You and Your Word. I really want to please you with faith so that I experience what Hebrews 11:6 says — that You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You. Please forgive me for my doubts, questions and lack of trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! — Pastor Kelly