Bible
Study: 1 Peter 4, 7 to 13 and Mark 11, 11 to 25.
Have you
ever prayed before and did not see the results of your prayer? I guess you did
not feel very happy about it and you must have wondered what went wrong. I am
also sure that you must have at least prayed once in your entire lifetime and
saw the result of your prayer. There is nobody who can say since he or she was
born, his or her prayer has never for once been answered.
So why is
it that sometimes, prayers are answered, and some other times, we don’t get
results? Today, Jesus gives us two reasons why prayers are often not granted
and at the same time he gives us two powerful ingredients that must be present
if our prayers are to be effective at all.
The first
is FAITH. He says: “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to
this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his
heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for
him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive
it, and you will.”
If we were
to be really honest with ourselves, we would admit that too often, when we
pray, we ask for things and which we do not expect to happen. We just pray
because we want to pray but we do not believe that what we ask for would
eventually come to us. Search your heart thoroughly and you will find doubt
sitting like a monster questioning every single word you utter at prayer. It keeps
asking you, “Are you sure that can happen?” “Has anything like that ever
happened?” etc.
Prayer is
like being given a cheque with your name written on it, faith says: “Rejoice,
the money is yours already.” Doubt says: “Destroy the cheque, it is not the
same thing as money.”
The second
key ingredient for effective prayer is MERCY. Jesus continues: “And whenever
you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone so that your
Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Dear
friends, the act of prayer is not all about commanding or dictating to God because
no one is senior to God neither is there anyone who can say, “God is owing me.”
Whenever we pray, we are always at the mercy of God. He alone decides whether
or not to grant our requests. All he demands is that as much as we expect to
benefit from his mercy, we should be merciful to others as well.
Deep seated
hatred and inability to forgive others of the hurts they have done to us
hinders our prayers. In our first reading, St. Peter tells us: “Above all hold
unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Practice hospitality (mercy) ungrudgingly to one another.” Never ask for what
you cannot give! Do not seek God’s love and mercy when you close your heart
completely to your fellow brothers and sisters in need.
Therefore,
my dear friends, the next time you are set to pray, ask yourself two questions:
“Do I believe that I already have what I am about to ask for?” and “Are there
persons who I am yet to forgive and free from the prison of my heart?” If your
answers to these questions are affirmative, then go ahead and pray!
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, as you deepen my
understanding of your word every day, help me to always apply faith and mercy whenever
I pray. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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