Praying as we Ought to!

“Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11.24

One of the most exciting things about God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is that He shows us the way, reveals the truth, and explains how life works and how it should be lived unto us. He does not hide anything from the believer. That is why Jesus will say to his disciples blessed are your eyes because they see, it is given unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God (Matthew 13:16, Luke 10:23, Mark 4:11).

Mark 11:24 is one of the few places where Jesus directly likens His action to how God works. Mark 11:22 says, ‘And Jesus answering said unto them, “Have faith in God (the God-kind of faith).” In other words, Trust in Him at all times; pour out your heart before Him because God is our everything ever needed. It’s like saying, let me give you a course into how God gets things done. You believe it in your heart and affirms it with your lips, and then it will become a deal in the kingdom.

Matthew 21:21 says, “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”

God speaks what He wants into existence. This agrees with the picture Moses painted in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 1). When God was calling things into existence, the word ‘God said’ was used a whopping 10 times only in that chapter. It was also the first definite action attributed to the Spirit of God. Without hesitation, we know how our Father works, and we can’t but work that same way.

Therefore, in today’s memory verse, Jesus explains how to get results in prayer. He outlines three core things; the first part in prayer is desire – ‘whatever things you desire,’ You must desire in prayer, that is, have a definite expectation. Of course, material things are in focus here, but it also applies to non-material things. I could desire to fellowship with the Father, and bask in the wealth of His love, pray for others, but there must be a definite DESIRE, a SPECIFIC need that cannot be satisfied by any other means than prayer. “And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

Prayer:
1. Father, I thank you for helping me to learn how things work in the kingdom in which I believe.
2. Oh Lord, from today, I choose to be definite with my request in prayer. As I ask, and I will receive every time in Jesus’ name.