Don’t Ask How
“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. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” -Mark 11:23-24
Here in the above verses is a very precious and important promise. Jesus said that if we have faith in God, and ask anything according to His will, if we believe that God will do it, it shall be done.
Notice in the passage above that there is really only one requirement listed for us.
The only requirement listed that we must possess in order to have prevailing prayer is faith. In the six most basic questions of a situation (who, what where, when, why, how) the most essential of these in prayer is who. Who will perform these requests? In whom do we have faith? It ought to be, in every instance: God.
Yet one question that seldom is helpful in prayer, and in many circumstances, is a hindrance, is the question how. We know what our requests are for God, but when we look at the situation, we are filled with doubt, and ask, “how can God possibly do this?”
In taking the example above, how could anyone possibly contrive of a how by which God could pick up a mountain, and cast it into the sea? In obsessing over the how, we do not do well.
It was the “how” of Peter’s heart that made him, when he walked out on the water to Jesus, to look down at the waves, and wonder, “how am I able to walk on the water?” and he then began to sink.
When we pray, if we always stop and try to think of how God can answer our prayers, we will become weak and lethargic in our praying.
“He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” -Ecclesiastes 11:4
Rather, Jesus Christ Himself has encouraged us, and taught us to have faith in God, and believe in Him. When we focus on God, and pour out our hearts before Him, we are not concerned with the how, but are keenly fixed on the who.
“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” -Ecclesiastes 11:5-6
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