In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
Mark 11:20-25
Some years ago, I was in a Bible study during a time when one of the members had recently fallen from a roof. He was near death, and based on this verse, the study leader told us if we prayed for his recovery and did not doubt, he would be healed. When he died, it shook the faith of many of the members.
Where was our miracle? We had confused confidence in prayer with believing we had the ability to manipulate God through prayer. Believing that the outcome of prayers is based on the intensity of our faith means that we believe our powers are greater than God's own will. Prayer is not a one-way communication where we make demands of God. Rather, it is when we open ourselves to God's claim on us and we respond obediently to God's guidance.
However, the requests in the Lord's Prayer are things we can already claim as our own. These are an intimate relationship with God; membership in God's Kingdom, which has been established by Jesus on earth; the earth's bounty; and forgiveness and deliverance. God has already given us unlimited love, forgiveness and grace, and will empower us to glorify His kingdom.
Prayer: Lord, bring me into a deeper prayer relationship with You, so that my desires become Your desires. May I never try to manipulate You with my prayers but instead, always trust in Your good judgment and Your perfect plan for my life and this world. I trust You Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
* Devotion taken from The Sanctuary For Lent 2016 by Sue Mink
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