September 9, 2010 | Mark 11:25

Read: Mark 11:25 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Examine: Jesus has just given his disciples an object lesson with the fig tree. The fig tree represented the nation of Israel. The tree had leaves and appeared healthy but there was no fruit so it was useless. Likewise, the nation of Israel had a religious appearance but there was no fruit of righteousness or grace especially from the religious leaders (the "roots" of the fig tree). So Jesus, not wanting His disciples to be fruitless, gave them this instruction about prayer. This verse requires some thought about what the Bible has to say about prayer. Prayer is grounded in seeking God's will to be done...Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So, prayer is rooted in seeing God's will be accomplished. This could be very confusing because if we pray to not get sick and we end up getting sick, it can leave us thinking, "what gives!? Why say that we'll get whatever we ask for when I don't see my troubles vanishing and all my wishes coming true?" This is why praying for God's will is so key and it helps us be confident that when we pray that God's will will happen for a specific situation or matter, then it will.

Apply: When I pray, I always have a desired outcome. I'm not to shy away from what I think or feel when I pray, but it is not my place to make demands on God. In fact, it helps me have a better perspective when I pray for God's will to be done. I've not been feeling all that well this past week. Everyday, I've prayed that God would take this away so that I would feel 100%. The fact that I've prayed for that is not wrong...even Jesus asked that the cup of sacrifice that he would drink (His torture and death) would be taken away. BUT we are called to follow Jesus' example of prayer and humbly submit ourselves to God's will for us. Seeking God in prayer has been a theme for me through the book of Mark. Today, the change I need to make is to make sure that I'm not just approaching God with my list of demands. Instead, I want to come before Him in humility, asking for His will to be done on specific matters and then trust that He will do it.

Pray: Father, may Your will be done in my life today. May I have the awareness and the sensitivity to the leading of Your Spirit so that I can make the most of every opportunity to live for Jesus. Please keep me from self-righteousness and pride. I pray that the words I speak and the thoughts I have and the actions I take are grounded in purity and grace. I confess that it is too easy for me to use words as weapons or to speak out of anger. Help me, Father, to seek Your will above my own today. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.