Mark 11:24 KJV
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
God is inviting us to have bold faith, to not trust in ourselves but rather to trust in Him and be aware of God’s limitless power. It is a call not to overestimate ourselves (thinking I can do it) nor underestimate God (thinking He can’t do it).
Maybe the reason we’ve never seen God do something amazing is because we have never asked Him – and maybe we never ask because we believe in ourselves too much. But when He does something amazing, we should glorify Him and not congratulate ourselves on our mighty prayer!
Faith is not presumptuous or trusting in ourselves; it is submitting to God’s will and trusting that when He doesn’t move the mountain, He has a good reason not to do so. He is not a father giving a snake when we need a fish (Luke 11:13). We see that in the examples of Jesus and Paul – they asked and God had something better for them and us in mind through His “no.”
We should not see these words of Jesus as a way to manipulate God to get what we want, but rather as a message from Jesus to help us move towards what God wants from us – to draw near to Him and to use us as vessels through which He glorifies Himself in this world by displaying His grace and mercy. As we draw near to God in prayer, we will see Him move in the world but also move in us to make our hearts more aligned with Him and thus praying more and more “in His name.” So let’s pray boldly, trusting that God can do things beyond our imagination and will do things for His glory.
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