Have Faith In...God

In Mark 11:22 Jesus makes a simple yet profound statement, “Have faith in God.” He says this following the withering of a fig tree that did so because of a curse pronounced by Christ. Jesus cursed the tree when he discovered that it was not producing fruit. Peter was amazed that the tree withered at the word of Christ. Often we make faith a difficult and allusive act. But the emphasis here isn’t on the act of faith, but on the object of faith, which is God. Once we have a clear understanding of God’s character, it becomes obvious that we are not Him. His character and power far exceeds our own. When we truly understand His ability, His knowledge, His inability to change with the circumstances, faith then becomes an act which naturally flows from our understanding of Him. James writes in his epistle, chapter 5:19 that “the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” From this we should understand that if there is a “prayer of faith” that there would exist prayers of unbelief, or prayers of self-indulgent pity, or any numerous types of prayer that do not accomplish what the prayer of faith would accomplish. 

A prayer of faith then, per Jesus’ words in Mark 11:22 would be a prayer that places God as the object of our faith. Prayers that would not qualify under this definition would be any kind of prayers that place people, problems, or other difficulties as the object. I wonder how many times my prayers aren’t effective, simply because I don’t pray with God as the object of my faith. Sometimes my prayers reflect that I have more faith in my difficulty, or in my circumstance, than in God. I think one of the reasons this happens is that I can see my problems and difficulties, but I can’t see God. I have a uniquely human capacity that prefers to walk by sight instead of walking by faith. In order for my prayers to be effective and powerful, I must first acknowledge this tendency by getting honest with myself. I’m not as full of faith as my pious acts may suggest. Sometimes I merely act religious because I want to be liked, respected, or thought of as a “good person”. So I end up in the role of the hypocrites that Christ condemned. Those who make a show of their prayers because they want to be seen of men. Or simpler yet, I prefer whining about things not going my way, in hopes that my complaining will get the attention of God. I blame Him, rather than trust Him by lamenting my negative circumstances.  By acknowledging my hypocrisy and self-centeredness, I move closer to a point where my prayers find their object, not in myself completely devoid of power, but in God who has all power in heaven and earth. My faith must be in God.