18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:18 – 22)
Approximately one month ago we reviewed the Discipline of Prayer and discussed how important it is that Believers pray for a world in need. We know that faith is essential in prayer but for many of us, faith is a challenge. In fact, often when our need is most pronounced, our doubt is most intense. On the road to Jerusalem during Passion week, Jesus challenged His disciples to “believe” and “receive”. It might be easy for us to rationalize away this passage of scripture, but the encouragement from Jesus is clear – God can move mountains for us if we completely trust Him.
The world is desperately in need of the kind of hope that can only come from us praying.
Please prayerfully read the passage above and consider the question and request below.
Question/Request
- What encouragement do you find in the words of Jesus to pray with more confidence?
- Talk to God about your doubts and ask Him to help you deepen your faith in Him.