Move Mountains

So, a couple months ago, I had my next blog all typed out and ready to post. Then, somehow, managed to delete the whole thing by accident. And due to all my travels lately and moving half way across country, I have lacked the opportunity to rewrite it all again. I will do my best to recount what I had previously written and hopefully there won’t be so much of a gap in between each post from now on… Okay, take 2! 

Continuing on with the topic of prayer… (Check out my previous blog if you haven’t already) we’ve already established why we need to pray, now lets talk about “How?” Jesus answered this question perfectly when He was asked by His disciples in Matthew 6:

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Matthew 6:5-6

There is so much that could be said on this passage but one thing I would like to focus on is the humility Jesus is describing. God is not amused by our selfish performances or how “holy” we may appear to others. If we are drawing attention to ourselves and away from the Lord, we are doing it wrong. Prayer and praise is not meant to give ourselves glory, but to give glory to God. Jesus calls those who take the glory “Hypocrites!” Come to the Lord with a humble heart and a quiet spirt and He will hear you. He desires to hear from His children, He desires a close and intimate relationship with us. What a gift that is! 

 Something else I would like to discuss, because it was something I struggled with for a very long time, is faith…

“Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

                         Matthew 21:21-22

That last part “whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” haunted me for at least a year. Every time I prayed I would try to pray in faith and believe whatever I was asking would come true. But, if I ever had just a hint of doubt in my mind, I would feel like a failure and I assume my prayer would not be answered. I came to the point where I didn’t even know how to pray anymore. Then, at rock bottom, the Lord brought me to this verse:

“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:23-24

Those words became my prayer for months. “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” Through this passage, the Lord began to reveal to me the selfishness behind my prayer life. Believing that God’s ability to answer prayers depending on how much or how little faith one has is completely self-centered and backwards. Do we hold the power to control God with our faith? Absolutely not! God is not a genie and faith is not the magic word to get whatever we wish from Him. I came to realize through the grace of God that no matter what the circumstance, God’s will is more powerful. How freeing this was for me when I finally accepted it. I was spending all this time carrying around this unnecessary burden. Once I realized it did not depend on me, I was able to surrender it all over to the Lord and come before Him with a completely different attitude. 

Okay then, so what does this passage mean if it doesn’t mean we can just ask whatever we want and receive it? One of the most important things to keep in mind when interpreting scriptures is context! Jesus was talking to His disciples in this passage and telling them they would do great works for Him. It’s also an invitation to us, His children, to come before Him and ask Him anything! Remember, as I mentioned in my previous blog, prayer is to align our hearts and will with God’s. Therefore, when we are in a right relationship with the Lord, we will be asking in His will. 

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend 

it on your pleasures.” 

James 4:3

Matthew 21:21 does not mean we can ask anything we want and as long as it’s done in faith it will be granted. If prayers are done with a selfish and prideful heart, it will not be given to us. God looks at the heart and motive of His children and will reveal His will to those who humbly ask.

To sum it all up in a nutshell… we pray because it aligns our hearts with God’s, brings us closer to Him, and because He commands us too. How do we pray? Humbly and selflessly. We come to the Lord without our pride and desire to look good, because He sees straight through it all. And lastly, it’s not about how much or how little faith you have. In fact, it has nothing to do with you at all. It’s about the Lord and His will to work through you as He pleases. Your will, will never be stronger than God’s. Take freedom in this, and rest in the grace of God. Be assured whatever answer you receive God is in control and His will and plan are for your good. 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11