Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 – Part Three
Therefore,
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and
it will be yours.
The context
of this verse is significant. It lies between verses that illuminate the power
of faith in God and two verses that connect faith and its blessings with
forgiveness and honest relationships. This contextual view exposes the fallacy
in the “Gospel of Wealth and Health” abuse of this verse. The objective of a
right relationship with Almighty God is not a reductionistic, narcissistic and
individualistic quest for financial gain that permits conspicuous consumption
and unbridled material acquisition. Instead, faith in God unleashes His
miraculous power that accomplishes His will and purpose. In addition, disciples
pray, in accordance with “the Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13) and Jesus’
petition in the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the Mount of Olives
(Matthew 26:39 and Luke 22:42), for revelation of the will of God and the power
of the Holy Spirit to seek and fulfill it. In response to His disciples’ plea
for instruction in prayer, the Lord teaches them to seek the will of God on
Earth as it is in heaven. On the night of His betrayal and eve of His
crucifixion, the Lord follows His very human plea that the cup of death passes
Him by with a confession of faith. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou
wilt.” (KJV) The evangelist reminds disciples of the importance of prioritizing
God’s will in all personal matters.
Jesus’
directive, “Have faith in God,” empowers disciples to speak to any mountain and
tell it to cast itself into a sea of oblivion never to rise again. However, a disciple
cannot harbor doubt in his heart. Storing suspicions resembles dust that forms
in the crevices of a windowsill or corners of a room. Some doubts parallel
large pieces of broken furniture in the garage or clothing that no longer fit
in the closet. To doubt means to have a divided mind. One moment everything
seems clear and straightforward. The next, questions begin to sow seeds of
uncertainty. Weeds of disbelief begin to grow thereby forcing disciples to sift
through their thoughts to glean faith. The process of growing in faith is one
of settling any doubt. Recollections of God’s unwavering faithfulness and
consistent practice of other spiritual disciplines are practical means of
removing doubt. Like weekly house cleaning that removes dirt, dust, cobwebs,
stains, odors and overlooked messes, disciples embrace recitation of
scriptures, prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, Bible study, reading,
journaling and meditation as pragmatic means of eliminating doubt. Nonetheless,
it is important to specify that the disciple needs to mature in faith to remove
any doubt that Almighty God can favorably impart His grace and power to remove
the mountains in the disciple’s life. With an unwavering faith in God’s ability
to act miraculously in accordance with His will, any disciple can experience
divine favor.
To doubt
means to have a divided mind. It is hard to have faith when a disciple’s mind
and heart oppose each other. Mental assent to the idea that God can perform
miracles or supernaturally impart grace to accomplish His purposes is not
sufficient. Faith is more than strong and fierce emotions. Prayer requires more
than loud, vociferous and sincere verbal petitions. These spiritual
superstitions do not equate with faith. Belief in God requires reason and
faith. Disciples consider their intellect by scanning a protocol of logical,
scientific and practical factors for reasonableness. Satisfying these rational
tests, disciples appropriately turn to their faith. Realizing that the facts of
any situation may not yield a favorable outcome, disciples employ their faith
and ask God for His favorable intervention. Their prayer petition may include a
direct request that Almighty God suspend natural law and perform a miracle.
However, disciples should clarify their motives and objectives when making such
a request. Does the disciple ask because he think it is a good idea that God
fulfill a personal preference. Does the disciple ask for the miracle to honor
and glorify God? Does the disciple ask for the miracle to accomplish God’s
will? Does the plea for a miracle further the Gospel or expand Christ’s
kingdom? Yet, if disciples retain
uncertainty in their minds and hearts, then they corrode any faith they allege.
Uncertainty
indicts God’s ability, promises and Word. It means harboring mental and
experiential reservations. Doubt is a very human and understandable emotion and
stance. The Bible records myriad instances of doubt. Several of the people who
are in the “Hall of Fame and Faith” (Hebrews 11) harbored legitimate doubts as
they sought divine and miraculous intervention. Sarah laughs when the angel
informs Abraham and her that she will bear a child in her old age. Gideon
rebuffs an angelic proclamation of God’s presence, consideration and care.
Thomas initially refuses to believe the resurrection occurred when his fellow
disciples told him that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ had appeared to them. You
recall Thomas’ immortal words. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and
put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe.” (John 20:25) After Thomas encounters the Risen Lord, Thomas ceases
doubting and believes wholeheartedly. Faith surmounts doubt when disciples rely
unwaveringly upon God’s faithfulness, unfailing love and grace. Disciples
believe in God and His sovereign and gracious will to intervene favorably on a
believing disciple’s behalf.
Faith
empowers disciples to speak to the mountains in their lives. They can order the
mountains to cast themselves into the sea. If they do not doubt in their
hearts, disciples can trust that God will consider their prayers and answer in
accordance with His prerogatives and will. Interestingly, the evangelist adds a
requirement. The disciple must believe what he says! If the disciple does not
really believe what he says, why would he expect God to respond favorably?
Unconditional belief is a nonnegotiable prerequisite for miraculous action.
This verse, Mark 11:23, reads as if it were an “If-Then” algebra equation. The
prerequisites must be solved to complete the equation. Necessitating that
disciples believe what they say in turn requires them to clarify their desires
and intentions. A person of a divided mind and heart cannot legitimately ask
anything of God. (James 1:6-8) Faith includes an unequivocal belief in Almighty
God respecting His sovereign prerogatives and unerring will. It also demands
clarity of desire and intention. Accordingly, disciples must believe what they
say. As disciples combine these two dimensions, they will witness the removal
of mountains in their lives.
The
evangelist links prayer, faith and forgiveness in Mark 11:25-26. It appears the
failure to forgive someone against whom you hold resentment and other
negativity cancels the possibility of miracles. The evangelist instructs
disciples to pause when praying for a miracle and consider whether they harbor
anything against anyone. The Psalter encourages believers to have “clean hands
and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:4) It stands to reason that holding toxic emotions
in your heart interferes and undermines any desire for God’s grace. The
evangelist insists that God demands forgiveness as disciples state personal
petitions, intercede for other people, offer confessions, express adoration and
enumerate their thanksgiving in prayer and other spiritual disciplines.
Further, God demands that disciples forgive others as a condition to receive
unconditional divine forgiveness. The degree to which a disciple desires God’s
forgiveness is the exact same degree to which he must extend forgiveness to
other people who have harmed him. In the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus teaches His
disciples to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses we forgive those who trespass
against us.” (Mathhew 6:12 KJV) Two verses later, He adds, “For if ye forgive
men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Prayer with
a clean heart and conscious, genuine faith in God and unreserved forgiveness of
other people are necessary to honor God’s holy character. It is irrational to
ask for divine grace, mercy and assistance while simultaneously harboring
bitterness, resentment, vexation and other toxic emotions against other people.
A disciple with such a burdened and soiled heart is not a vessel through whom
God’s will can occur. Anyone retaining doubt in the crevices of his mind and
closets of his heart is also an ineligible instrument through whom God can
accomplish His will. As “God is love” and love is the basis of forgiveness, it
is unreasonable to assume that a disciple can taint divine love and forgiveness
with a refusal to share Christ’s love and forgiveness. Disciples demonstrate
their gratitude as recipients of love, grace and mercy by freely and liberally
sharing these divine gifts with others.
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