Teaching

Devotional

Speaking to the Mountain

May 10

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." -Mark 11:22-24

From Jesus’ own lips we receive the most direct and practical instruction concerning our exercise of faith. Consider three points: 

1. Faith is to be “in God.” Faith that speaks is first faith that seeks. The Almighty One is the source and ground of our faith and being. Faith only flows to Him because of the faithfulness that flows from Him. 

2. Faith is not a trick performed with our lips, but a spoken confession that springs from the conviction of our hearts. Faith’s confession is not a formula for getting things from God, but Jesus does teach that faith in our hearts is to be spoken. 

3. Jesus’ words in this passage teach us to apply this principle in every aspect of our lives. The only restrictions are that our faith be in God and in alignment with His will and Word, and that we believe and not doubt.  

This “speaking to the mountain” is not a vain or superstitious exercise, or indulgence in humanistic mind-science, but instead becomes an applied release of God’s creative word of promise. 

Mark