Question:
Brother Rich!
I love the website...what a blessing. I have been working through a devotional lately, and wonder what your take on Mark 11:22-24 is. There is some tricky language in their (at least tricky for my feeble mind!). I have come to several conclusions, but I was wondering what feeback you can provide. Specifically, my NKJV reads, in v. 24, "...whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." It almost seems existential...that I create my own reality! What are your thoughts? Thank you.
In Christ,
J_______________
My Answer:
Dear J________,
Thank you for your kind and encouraging comments concerning the site. I am glad that it has been a help to you. The greatest thing we can ever do in relation to others is to cause them to love God more! This is my prayer in regard to my site!
You have hit upon something significant -- an issue that causes many to transgress in the area of our petitions to God in prayer. A few verses in the Bible initially appear to teach that God must answer every prayer according to the desires of the person praying:
- "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. (Mark 11:24)
- "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
Other verses appear to limit the requests that God answers:
- "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)
- "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (1 John 5:14)
The challenge of good Biblical interpretation is to allow each text to say what it says in context and then to harmonize it with the totality of Biblical revelation. No one passage says everything that needs to be said about any one topic. That is why we have a Bible, and not merely a verse.
The first batch of verses are presented without qualification and can tend to appear as if God should give us what we want, whenever we want it. However, these verses must be considered in light of the totality of God's revelation. The second batch of verses place some qualifications on our requests. We must ask "in Jesus' name" (founded upon His sacrificial and intercessory work and in line with His kingdom) and "according to God's will" (not our selfish desires run rampant).
We must also keep in mind that our requests are not always pure. We can ask out of selfish motives (James 4:1-3). Furthermore, we do not always know what to pray for (Romans 8:26-27). We must always remember, however, in light of all the qualifications, that God does want us to trust Him to take care of us through prayer. God always hears the prayers of His saints and He always responds. However, His response is "no" just as much as it is "yes." And God's "yes" and "no" are both motivated by His love and wisdom! Paul prayed three times that God would remove his "thorn in the flesh" and God refused to remove it, but gave Paul grace to handle it, and the insight to see that God's power is best displayed in human weakness (2 Cor. 12:1-10).
Yours in Christ,
Rich
© Richard J. Vincent, March 21, 2000
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