September 1st

September 1st  -- Mark 11:20-33

Please go read the passage!

Just gonna' look at the part about prayer/asking for things. Jesus says that the disciples could tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea and if they really believed it would happen, it would. Seeeeems pretty hard to believe, right? Well, the disciples DID do miracles in God's name. I think part of the reason our prayers don't quite work like that nowadays is what Jesus mentions and I think there are also other factors. Jesus says that the disciples had to first make sure they weren't holding a grudge against anyone. So, this sort of thing is not even a mere possibility for us when we're holding grudges. Now, you may say "Oh, I'm not! I forgave them ages ago!". Yet, as you think of that, you're probably rehashing those situations, right? Probably also thinking "I forgave them, yeah... even though they ____ and ____ and ____ and totally didn't deserve it. They didn't even say they were sorry! And even if they had that doesn't excuse it!" Okay, so, maybe not quite that extreme for some of you, but I bet that reaction, even on a small scale, is there. So, have you truly forgiven them, then? Forgiven them way deep down in your heart? No. And therein lies the problem. Also, though, I think part of the problem is that God can see our hearts and minds - even when we don't fully admit to ourselves what they're up to when we don't wanna' know - and so He knows the intention of our prayer. Let's say you had NO grudge against anyone and had COMPLETELY forgiven everyone. You sit down and pray "God, PLEASE let me and ___ get married! Amen!" You totally believe it's gonna' happen. It doesn't. Why not? What's the intent of that prayer? It's selfish. It is not asking God's will to be done - it's asking for what you want. Now, same situation as before, but your prayer is that you become a famous singer! Great news for God, right, because you're spreading His word through your song lyrics? But what if God knew you'd get there and claim all the credit and glory, saying it was by your merit alone, and not give the credit to God, where it belongs? You can bet that's probably not gonna' be an answered prayer. I guess what I'm saying is, you can pray for anything, and you can ask God for everything. It's not all gonna' be answered how you want it to, though. The only time that's gonna' work out is when you are so in-tune with the  Holy Spirit inside of you that you are just praying for God's will and legitimately want that more than your selfish desires. Then you can know your prayers will be answered.

So, how are you praying?
God bless! Shalom!