Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
We’ve talked in the past about how persistence is so important in prayer. Today’s reading shows that the condition of our hearts plays a big role in prayer as well. If we continually ask without believing that God can and will do it, we might as well not even ask.
Verse 23 says that if we ask for a mountain to be thrown into the sea, it will happen. There’s an important caveat to this thought, though. The person asking cannot have doubt in his heart and must believe that what he says will come to pass. Then it will be done.
Does this mean that a literal mountain will be moved? I mean, maybe. But it’s important to know that in Jewish culture, “removing mountains” was a common phrase meaning “removing difficulties”. Is there a difficulty in your life that feels as big as a mountain? Do you feel like you’ve asked God to remove it over and over again with no relief? The first question to ask yourself is, “Do I really believe God can remove this?”
Let’s focus on the word “doubt” for a second. Doubt holds a heavy meaning for me. It’s a negative word. At first glance, I would say that I never doubt God. Then I learned that this word in the original language could’ve even meant “to hesitate”. Oh. I think I sometimes hesitate in my belief in what God will do. Not that He can’t. Sometimes I just think maybe He won’t. So, with that in mind, it changes how I view making my requests to God with no hesitation or doubt.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.