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27th September 2024
FridayReflection
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'Brian Dennert offers'
'The Pastor of Faith Church
and Faith's Pastoral Theologian'
"Does "Everything" Really Mean "Anything"? "
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I am reminded of a passage on prayer that I have always found challenging:
Mark 11:22-24. This verse says:
"Jesus replied to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, everything you pray and ask for - believe that you have received it and it will be yours." "
At first glance, it appears that Jesus states that everything that we ask for in faith will happen.
Many teachers and preachers have made that claim on the basis of this verse, that we just need to "name it and claim it" - that if we truly believe, God will grant all our requests; conversely, if God is not granting our requests, it must be because our faith is lacking.
I do not believe I am alone in struggling to understand and apply this verse, so I hope that my recent contemplation of this verse will not just be of benefit to me but hopefully to others - including you!
Whenever we come across a challenging passage, it is wise to examine both its immediate context as well as the wider context.
In particular, some have drawn attention to the location in which Jesus says these words and the fact that Jesus says "this" mountain - which here would be the Mount of Olives as Jesus is in the vicinity of the temple
First, Jesus moves from this specific request to "everything," expanding the saying beyond this particular mountain.
Secondly, there are a number of other times Jesus seems to make this same promise and Matthew and Luke record Jesus speaking a similar saying at a different mountain location
Another interesting element in Jesus's teaching is that he tells us to persist in prayer, to keep asking
The idea of "ask" could be seen as something to repeat.
This implies that simply asking once does not always lead to a request being answered right then; rather, we are called to keep asking.
So for a time one may receive a "no" answer to a request, but that does not mean that God will not eventually grant that.
The overarching teaching of Scripture shows us that the passage itself does not seem to be a "blank check" for God to do whatever we ask as long as our faith is strong enough (which elsewhere Jesus says is just a little - a mustard seed).
So what does it mean?
First and foremost, I think it is a call to ask God in good faith, to not doubt that He is able to answer requests that we bring.
We see a similar point made in James 1:6 where it speaks against "double-minded" faith.
When we don't have faith, there is a chance God will not grant the request.
We see this when the disciples are rebuked for having "little faith" - which in this context seems to be no faith
I think it is a call to make bold requests - to truly believe that God can do amazing things, things beyond our strength.
This is the heart of the "mountain-moving" imagery.
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!
I think this verse is calling us to see God as one who is not looking to deny our prayers but rather looking to answer our prayers.
Faith, though, 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.
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."
Thus, 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
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.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article, and Bible references, is avaiable on request
'Faith Church'
is a Bible-believing, outreach-oriented, community of believers committed to changing the world one relationship at a time.
Founded in 1963 in South Holland, Illinois, Faith's mission to build relationships inside and outside of the church resulted in a steady growth which, in 2002, precipitated a move to a larger building and campus in Dyer, Indiana. Since then we have continued to expand our vision and reach by embracing a "one church, multiple locations" philosophy. We have grown to include five different locations - four in Indiana and one in Illinois.
The Pastor of Faith Church's and Faith's Pastoral Theologian, Dr. Brian Dennert is a disciple of Jesus that ministers to many inside and outside of Faith Church with his work as a shepherd, preacher, blogger and podcast contributor.
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