Thoughts for the Day

Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Faith and prayer go together and are inseparable. Jesus was unable to carry out any powerful miracles when the people of Nazareth rejected him (Mark 6.4-5). He constantly spent time in prayer with God, but when the people around him had little or no faith his power was restricted. The disciples gained their ability to heal from their faith in Jesus, though even they struggle when he leaves them at the foot of the mountain of transfiguration (Luke 9.37-42). For Jesus, his faith and his prayer life, give him his power over nature, as when he walks on water (Matthew 13.22-33). In this incident Jesus comes straight from a time with God, whereas in contrast Peter does not and his faith is less secure so that he begins to sink.

What might this mean for us? Well it doesn't mean that we can expect mountains to be moved, I'm afraid.

• Firstly, we need to be willing to turn to God in prayer, not just when we need help.
• Secondly, we shouldn't give God a blue-print for the answer.
• Thirdly, we must know that God will answer our prayer.
• Fourthly, we need to leave that answer to God.

If God, in His love for us, decides a mountain should be moved, then it will be moved.

Heavenly Father,
give us true faith,
that we may know with certainty
that You are our Heavenly Father,
and that you love us as Your children.
Help us always to turn to You
when we are in need,
and to leave the solutions to You.
Amen.