May 4, 2009 (yes, again…)
Matt 21: 21 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth. If you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to this fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. 22. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
(Years ago, I read this story about this missionary in some third world country, who was running an orphanage. The problem was, the children were often sick and listless because it was so hot and humid. The orphanage was located on the back side of a mountain; on the other side was the sea, where wealthy people went to enjoy the cooling breezes and fresh air. The missionary thought, if only our children in the orphanage could experience those healthy breezes… and so she prayed, Father, couldn’t You move this mountain out of the way? And then, guess what happened? A big company came to the coast side of the mountain and wanted to build a big resort there, so they brought in big machinery and literally moved the mountain into the water to provide more land for the resort… and then the sea breezes came straight to the orphanage, and the childrens’ health improved, just as the missionary had dreamed of and prayed for!)
Jesus (You promised this!), Papa (Jesus was just repeating Your Word!), Holy Spirit (the power is through You!) – is this promise really true? If it is, what does “have faith and do not doubt… believe” really mean? That has to be the key, because there aren’t any other “if’s” here… although goodness know (and we quote other scriptures to justify ourselves) we add lots of “if’s” – excuses! – ourselves: if it is the will of God; if it is righteous; if it fits in with God’s purposes; if it isn’t selfish or capricious; if it doesn’t conflict with other more important needs of others; etc, etc, etc. BUT. You just say, Believe. And frankly, I’ve prayed for things and thought I really believed… and didn’t “see the answer” (there’s another “if” we use: if Your answer isn’t “no/ maybe/ later/ etc”) (or: You do answer! but in a time/ way/ place/ etc that we don’t expect… so we don’t recognize the answer… but that’s our problem, isn’t it? …)
Well??? (Am I asking a wicked question?)
(If your statement is really true, I’ve really been missing out! I don’t want to miss out! Papa! Jesus! Holy Spirit! Please help me truly BELIEVE… whatever that fully means! Please!)
