Prayer and Effect

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

Understanding just what prayer is and how it works is as challenging for men today as it was for the disciples in Jesus day. Having just cleared the temple and cursed the fig tree, the disciples came up upon the withered tree and were amazed. What Jesus had said would happen, did. And in response, Jesus explains something unique about prayer. He gives His disciples divine truth about a spiritual topic.

What Jesus says about prayer and what He doesn’t say about prayer are very important to mull over. I’ll admit, there is more I don’t understand about prayer in comparison to what I do. Here’s what is clear about prayer. God does the impossible through prayer. That is how to understand the mountain and sea metaphor. We learn what to ask for in prayer as we learn about the Father’s heart. The prayer and effect of prayer are then a result of our faith that God will do what He says He will do and does what is on His heart. Praying with significant effect means that we must believe God will bring about the very things He wills. We ask as we discover and the effect is Him doing the impossible.

DO THIS TODAY: Ask God to help you understand what is on His heart and then pray He accomplishes it.