Matthew 21 verse 18 – 22 (NKJV)
18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
I read this passage recently and I was struck by the message in these verses.
The Lord Jesus was giving his disciples a practical life lesson with the fig tree. He was showing them and by extension is showing us, that if we are in Him, we can do the same things He did.
So, He said “if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
He was saying not only can we do what he did (speak to a fig tree and see it wither) but we can do even greater, speak to a mountain and command it to be removed and cast into the sea. A mountain is in normal circumstances and immoveable object. You can’t just move it but here Jesus is saying you and I believers will be able to command mountain like situations to be removed and cast away.
How will this happen? Three things:
Pray – Believe – Receive.
So, you PRAY, which many of us don’t have a problem with. Following prayer, you BELIEVE. This is where many a times we falter, but this is the key thing. This is the most important thing. This is what determines whether we receive or not. It is our believing, that connects our prayers with our receiving. Having believed, you then RECEIVE. The date of receiving is determined by God and Him alone, not by us. Ours is to pray and believe.
May the Lord grant us believing hearts that will enable us receive!
Agape!