Praying in Faith
Faith is a critical condition for a successful prayer.
“And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV). When you come to God in prayer, you must believe that He exists and will reward you by answering your prayer. In His ministry on earth, Jesus performed miracles by healing people, providing for their physical needs, and raising the dead back to life. But the miracle of the cursing of the fig tree does not fit into any of these categories of miracles. It will appear to a casual reader of the Bible as if this was a miracle “just for fun”. But Jesus was very intentional throughout His ministry. So, what lessons did Jesus want to teach the disciples from the miracle of the cursing of the fig tree? Now, the story of the fig tree’s cursing is so familiar that I will not want to rehearse it; you can read the whole story in Mark 11: 12-26. I would, however, like to focus on verses 22-26. This was after the disciples saw the cursed fig tree dry up from its roots. A tree that looked so green just the previous day is now dead and dried up right to its roots. This is not a natural occurrence but a supernatural one. I believe that Our Lord intentionally performed this miracle in order to teach us how to pray by faith. Therefore, when Peter exclaimed in amazement, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered away.” Jesus’ immediate response was, “Have faith in God”(Mark 11:22). We need to keep hearing these four words from Christ again and again, especially in these difficult days, all we need is to have faith in God. Jesus further expanded on this statement in verses 23-26:
“Whatever things you ask, believe”
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
The heart of the lesson on faith is in verse 24; “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them”. It’s important to put verse 24 in context and not make assumptions about it. Prayer is an act of faith that requires faith in God, not in yourself. Your faith in God should motivate you to ask for things that are in line with His will for you. The application of faith should follow this order: first, have faith in God; second, ask God for what you want; third, believe that you will receive what you asked for by faith; and lastly, you will have it. The manifestation of what you asked for is the final stage and is based on your faith in God. Remember this truth: faith in God, ask, receive by faith, and have it.
The significance of faith in prayer cannot be overstated, but it is important to understand that faith in God and not faith in our prayers matters. Our prayers are simply the verbal expression of our requests, motivated by our trust in God and His Word. The Bible teaches us in Hebrews 11:6 to believe that God exists and, secondly, to believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Studying the Bible and developing a personal and intimate relationship with God requires diligence. Diligence is also necessary to discover God’s will for our lives so that we can pray in accordance with His plan. God desires us to be diligent seekers rather than casual followers.
Condition for answered prayers
One last lesson from the passage of Mark: did you notice How God immediately added a condition to praying in faith? He said in verses 25-26, “And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This condition is critical, and sometimes we overlook it and dwell on casting the mountains into the sea. But do you know that as a child of God, sin messes up your fellowship with the Father? And this can become a barrier to your prayer of faith not being answered. Why don’t you check your heart right now to see if you need to confess to God immediately? Why would you like to carry a load of sin in your heart when you can confess and be forgiven? This may be why your prayers are not answered, and it may not be your lack of faith. Jesus gave the same condition in the model prayer when he said: “ And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matt 6:12). You see, my friends, our faith in God will move us to forgive those who have sinned against us, and this will gladden the heart of the Father because He forgives all those who will genuinely confess and repent from their sins. Then, our prayer of faith will be effective.