The Power of Prayer: Moving Mountains

Some people love to take verses and use them to support any view they desire. Some love taking the verse that tells us Jesus came to give us life abundantly as well as the verse in our passage today about moving mountains and twist them into saying things they do not say.

So if some do turn this passage into something it is not about or does not mean, what does this passage mean? Let’s take a closer look at this passage so we can better understand what Jesus is teaching us.

Before we read, we have been studying about prayer. You probably didn’t think someone could do this many sermons just on prayer. Don’t worry, we have more to come.

Charles Spurgeon said this about prayer.

God the Holy Ghost writes our prayers, God the Son presents our prayers, and God the Father accepts our prayers. And with the whole Trinity to help us in it, what cannot prayer perform?—54.342, 343

Charles Spurgeon

R. A. Torrey said:

Power is lost through neglect of prayer.

R. A. Torrey

And someone said:

Let’s move from theology to kneeology! Power for victory in spiritual warfare is found in prayer.

Anonymous

I want to remind you that prayer is not magical or mystical.

Prayer isn’t special in the sense there is any power in prayer itself. That statement might go against what others have said, at least on the surface. So let’s take a look at our passage and see what God’s says.

It’s amazing that faith and prayer are attached to each other. Without faith there is no reason to pray.

If you wrote a letter to the IRS asking them to give you a million dollars, who thinks you would be given a million dollars by the IRS?

If you wrote your congressman and asked for free plane tickets to Europe to go on vacation, do you think you would get them?

Follow along as I read our passage today, Mark 11:20-25

Mark 11:20–25 NASB 2020

20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. 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 to you. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses.

1. Faith's Astonishing Act

When is the last time you remember seeing a thriving plant only to walk out the next day and find it withered and dead?

I have sprayed different weed killer on grass and plants and noticed that by the next day it is taking effect. But that just meant the grass or the leaves were starting to wilt a little. It didn’t mean it was completely withered and it clearly wasn’t withered from the roots up. At best most of the grass or weeds were withered after a few days, but not all of them and some would grow back.

So if we heard someone tell a fig tree to die and the next morning we found the tree dead; we would be pretty amazed and want to know how they did that.

But there is more going on in this than a simple tree dying. There is more going on than a miracle. In our passage, Peter is the one who speaks up; isn’t Peter always the one?

But why would Peter be amazed at a dead tree? Peter had been a witness to many miracles done by Jesus. He had seen sick people healed. He had seen dead people come back to life. He had seen things that were so much more miraculous that a dead tree.

It wasn’t that it happened so fast either. Jesus walks up to a crippled man, a man who has been crippled his whole life and Jesus tells him to walk. He gets up, takes his bed roll and he walks away. The tree dying overnight is sort of slow.

I think what astounds Peter and the other disciples, is the utter destruction of the tree. And that represents the utter destruction of Israel’s religious system. It shows us what happens to those without faith.

Earlier I said it is amazing that faith and prayer are tied together. It is our faith in Christ, it is this living relationship that exists that gets us to pray.

When I was jumping out of airplanes, I would usually talk to my parachute while I was putting it on. I know, jumping out of airplanes and talking to parachutes does at least give a hint about my sanity. Some of you are probably wondering why you even called me to preach about now.

But I would say stuff to my parachute like I hope you open. I hope you fill with air. Honestly, it was more of just being nervous. I never did believe that parachutes or the air heard me and that it was because I talked to it that they worked.

But when I pray, I actually believe that Jesus, that God hears me, listens to me, cares about what I say and will answer me. I pray because I believe Jesus exists and is alive and I believe what He said.

One of the highest compliments I ever got as a chaplain was from an Air Force LTC. Each staff meeting I would say a prayer. After a few months of this, on the way out this LTC stopped me. He took the time to let me know he was an atheist. But then he caught me off guard with his compliment. He said that in over 18 years in the AF and working with many chaplains, I was the first chaplain who seemed to be actually talking to someone when I prayed.

I told him it seemed that way because I was actually talking to a real person named Jesus. After a short conversation we parted and went about our business. That LTC wasn’t around much after that. His time was up and he went somewhere else. It would be neat to say what happened to him but I can’t. I can say that he was at least introduced to Jesus because I believed I was really talking to Jesus when I was praying.

What about you?

Where is your faith when you pray?

2. Faith's Mountain-Moving Power

Part of the reason I say the tree is about a faithless Israel and faithless people is because of Jesus’ first statement in replying to Peter.

Have faith in God.

This is a command from Jesus. Not just a nice saying. It isn’t a suggestion. It isn’t even a hopeful statement Jesus is making.

We are used to these statements. Mom walks in, looks at your with your feet on her table and she kindly says, you might want to move those feet.

That isn’t a suggestion. Move them or loose them you might say.

In one sentence Jesus is telling us to have faith. But He also tells us our faith has to be in God. Why is this so important?

Have faith in God.

Does that sound like an answer to Peter’s question? “Rabbi, look, the fig tree You cursed has withered.”

Have faith in God.

Faith itself is a miracle. Think about it. Before we were called, God had to give us faith. That is a miracle. Seeing a fig tree cursed by Jesus withered and dead is a miracle. But faith itself, possessing faith given to us by God is a miracle that is even greater than the death of a tree.

Another miracle that prayer and faith have is moving us. Prayer, that conversation with God, moves us. As we learn to rely on faith, as we hear God, we become more aligned with Him, more aligned to being Christ-like and thereby, we are moved so our prayers track after God’s will.

Do you ever have your car checked for alignment when you rotate your tires? Why do we check the alignment?

We do this because if the alignment is bad then we have more wear on the tires; the vehicle will handle better and be safer plus it makes sure other parts of the vehicle, like the steering and shocks work correctly.

All of these other things in a vehicle can be in good shape but the alignment be out, which will only get worse and will lead to a breakdown of that vehicle or even a crash.

Prayer will help to align us with God. If we are out of alignment then we will breakdown and possible crash. Prayer helps us to align ourselves with His will.

As we become more and more aligned with God, our prayers start to change. They become prayers that are more God focused and Christ-centered.

Then we notice something even better. Our faith in God to move mountains will lead us to pray for those mountains to be moved.

3. Faithful Prayer's Promise

This next part is where a lot of people get lost in the parking lot.

People want to use this as proof that God wants you to have what you want. He intends to give you riches, health and whatever else your mind and body desire. After all, verse 24 says that you just have to ask and then believe God has given it to you.

So if you have asked and you don’t have it is your fault because you don’t believe, or you don’t believe enough.

Anyone who claims this to be truth hasn’t actually read the Bible.

1 John 5:14 NASB 2020

14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

If we ask anything according to His will.

John 15:16 NASB 2020

16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Ask in my name.

These are both critical verses in understanding faith and prayer. We are supposed to ask God for anything but that anything should be in His will and in Jesus name.

This is tied back to having faith in God and being more Christ-like. We say the Lord’s prayer each Sunday. In that prayer, as taught by Jesus, we pray for God’s will. Jesus also prayed for God’s will to be done.

Luke 22:42 NASB 2020

42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

If we are faithful, our prayers will be said in faith and with the believe that what we ask, God will do.

As we practice our faith, we become more Christ-like and our prayers better align with God’s will and our prayers will be answered by God as we pray.

4. Forgiveness in Prayer's Garden

Forgiveness is essential in a prayer life.

And it is probably one of the most difficult things to do.

Have you ever had a grudge? Someone has done something wrong to you. It is clear what they did was sinful. It hurt you, maybe it even hurt your reputation with others. And when we get hurt, we tend to become vengeful, at least in our thoughts.

Those are difficult to forgive. Even when we say we forgive them, we still harbor feelings against them.

If someone knows about this hurt and need for forgiveness, they might remind you that God forgives as far as the east is to the west. You might even tell yourself that you need to forget this and move on.

However, forget and forgive, while similar in spelling, while they both begin with “for” are not the same thing.

We don’t easily forget wrongs and hurts done to us. It can linger for years. But forgiveness is something different. Forgiveness means you no longer hold that wrong against the person. It doesn’t drive your decisions.

It is critical to our prayer life. Holding on to that and not forgiving the person means you will easily slip back into revenge mode, even as you pray.

When we pray, we can be standing in one of two places. We can stand in a garden, communing with God or we can stand in place taken over by thorns and thistles, sort of like a briar patch.

Have you ever been out in the woods or some place and accidentally walked into a briar thicket? Suddenly you are being priced and stuck. Everywhere you turn there is another thorn. Even being gentle and moving slowly to get out of that thicket will cause you to run into more thorns. There is just now way out that doesn’t cause some pain.

That is what it is like to pray and not forgive. But the alternative is standing in a garden. By garden I mean any place that you think of as beautiful, serene, comfortable, friendly; a place you enjoy going and being alone with God.

If we are faithful in our life, if we are faithful in our prayers then we will be able to walk in a prayer garden.

This is why Jesus answered Peter’s question with, “Have faith in God.”

Do you want to live a faithful life? Have faith in God.

Do you want to have a better, mountain moving prayer life? Have faith in God.

Where do you put your faith?

Let’s pray.