I have been studying and teaching quite a bit on prayer (and praying too!) and the incident of the fig tree always intrigues me. We do not find Jesus doing any kind of praying before he curses the fig tree. And yet the lesson He gives is a lesson on prayer. And it is too big a lesson for us to just pass it by. Mar 11:24 "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. Most of us read this verse and come to the conclusion that in all our petitions, if only we can gather more faith, we could always get what we prayed for. The emphasis is we trying hard to produce enough faith for it. I see it a bit differently. When we petition God, some of our petitions begin to have a touch from God. We find out that we are able to gain more confidence even when we are praying. There is a holy boldness we are receiving from God. Suddenly our petition becomes more than believable. It becomes a necessity and is affirmed. And we find that we are birthing it out even before we see the substance. There is victory in the heavenlies before it is released on earth. Finally, there is no need to pray any longer. It is done. It will soon become a reality.
Here, the emphasis is the working of God inside our petitions. All thing for which you 'pray and ask', not 'ask and pray'. The difference is significant. Our prayers need His touch more than we realize. The Holy Spirit has to help us even in finding out what to pray for. Romans 8:26
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