Mark 11:21-25
Mark 11:21 (KJB)
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree
which thou cursedst is withered away.
Peter had remembered the day before that Jesus pronounced that no one will ever
eat from the tree’s fruit again. Peter than asks the Lord to look at the tree
and how it was withered. It is mentioned only in Mark as a curse and the
disciples were amazed at how fast the tree had withered and dried up.
Mark 11:22 (KJB)
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Jesus had used this opportunity to show the disciples that if they couple their
prayers with faith in God, then they will have power. The disciples saw exactly
what had happened to the tree in exactly the way Jesus had said it would be. The
key to believing prayer is not in the prayer itself but it is having faith in
God who is the one who will answer those prayers. Faithless praying is useless.
Mark 11:23 (KJB)
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but
shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith.
Jesus did not respond directly to their question, instead He gives them another
analogy about a mountain. What He is trying to convey to them is that prayer is
not just words but there has to be belief and faith behind it. If you pray
without believing God for the results, then why bother praying. Believing God
will answer your prayer requires faith in the ability of God. (Heb 11:6 KJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus wanted the disciples to know that the fig tree was a small item compared
to the mountain and that faith actually has a limitless potential when dealing
with an infinite God. The key is that there must not be any doubt mixed in with
that faith. Doubt mixed with faith is like cyanide mixed with chocolate pudding.
Sometimes we pray and if God has not answered the prayer right away, we begin to
doubt and that doubt either lessens or causes God to say no. It must also be
realized that because we pray for something does not necessarily mean it is in
God’s will for us or a situation we are in. If something prayed for is not in
God’s will, then it will be rejected or God may decide to answer that prayer in
a different way.
Mark 11:24 (KJB)
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The believer has a special relationship with God through His Son and that
naturally means there will be prayer by the believer. Praying must be done in
faith. The two are inseparably linked together. The word “believe” is in the
present tense which means that “believing” must always be present. It is an
ongoing principle and not an intermittent one. Again, we must be careful what we
pray for and it must be within the will of God. (James 4:3 KJV) Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
James warns us that if we are praying wrongly, then we will not receive what we
ask for. We must also be careful that we are not praying according to the flesh,
in other words, that we are praying for something which we are lusting or
desiring after.
Mark 11:25 (KJB)
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Another major tenet of prayer is that before you engage in prayer, is to make
sure that if you have anything against another person, to make sure that you
have settled the matter with them by forgiving them if they have sinned against
you. One of the greatest traits of the true Christian is forgiveness. The second
half of this verse may seem like it is saying that the forgiveness of your sins
is based upon you forgiving someone else their sins. If that was the case, then
salvation would be by works. What is in view here is, that of you have given
true forgiveness to a person, then you will have the petition that you desire
because there is nothing hindering your prayers. Forgiveness of sins comes
through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a reminder to us that we all have sins
which need to be forgiven, either by God or another person.