Believe!

Believe!

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24 KJV

It appears that today's extract is the basis of the popular 'law of attraction' message: you attract what you desire. This is true, but like all things that God says, there is a context to it. First, recall that this was at a time when Jesus had cursed the fig tree and it had withered. The disciples couldn't understand how it happened so quickly and Jesus simply replied with the eternal words: Have faith in God. The first part of 'the law' is a sound and fundamental belief in the name and power of God. There is nothing you can get or sustain by your own strength. Whatever you get is a function of who you know.

Secondly, there is a place for opening your mouth to ask whatever it is you want. That is your faith in God put into action. A closed mouth means you do not know what to ask for, or you assume that God knows what you need. Like blind Bartimaeus or the man at the pool of Siloam, Jesus would ask: what do you want me to do for you? If the all-knowing God still has to ask, then you know that He wants to build up your faith in the ability of God to deal with whatever bothers you.

Prayer isn't a one-way or one-time street. You note from today's extract it is in the continuous tense, something you never stop doing. You pray, you believe in the prayers you have said, and you get what you ask for. Do not forget: your faith in God is the foundation of your prayers. Whatever God says in response to your prayer would not affect the foundation of your relationship. You know His power and His grace, and you know that He can do all He promises. What if He says NO or WAIT? Would that matter? Are you in for what you need from Him, or are you in it for the whole of your life, sure that God has got your back? His time of favour is here.