Today’s devotion covers Mark 11:20-26. We will focus on verses 23 and 24.
“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:23-24. (Emphasis added.)
How can we more effectively believe? Here are 4 simple steps. You may think of some more steps. We need all the help we can get.
First, as simple as it may be, we need to better understand God. Martin Luther at one time said, “I lost touch with Christ the Savior and Comforter, and made of him the jailor and hangman of my poor soul.” If we think of God as our jailor and hangman, then it will be very difficult, if not impossible to believe that God will grant our pray requests for good things and comfort. So, let us better understand and know God: “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24.
Second, we need to better understand God’s grace to His elect. I think that we are sometimes so one-sided obsessed with arguing that God does not show any grace and favor to the non-elect that we neglect to adequately understand and believe God’s grace and favor to the elect. Likewise, as I have previously written, sometimes we are so one-sided obsessed with arguing against “the prosperity gospel” that we neglect to adequately understand and believe God’s desire to give us prosperity. If we think that God only wants to give us sufferings, afflictions, and adversity, then it will be very difficult, if not impossible to believe that God will grant our pray requests for prosperity. So, let us better understand and know God’s grace and favor to His elect children. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11
Third, we need to better understand what God is currently doing in our lives and surroundings. There are certainly times when we experience those sufferings, afflictions, and adversity. God may be disciplining us. God may be building our faith. God may be preparing us so that we can later offer comfort to others. In such situations, God will not likely grant our pray requests for luxuries. But, in such situations, God will likely grant our requests for faith, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, strength to endure, comfort to others, and glory to God.
Regarding our discipline, Hebrews 12:7-11 states: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Regarding building our faith, 1 Peter 1:6-8 states: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
Regarding preparing us to comfort others, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 states: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.”
Fourth, we need to pray for help to more effectively believe. “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24 “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27.
In conclusion, we can more effectively believe if we better understand God, if we better understand God’s grace to His elect, and if we better understand what God is currently doing in our lives and surroundings. We are called and commanded to be wise. But, above all, we can more effectively believe if we pray for help to more effectively believe.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 