Move a Mountain with Prayer

Jesus had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem amid shouts of Hosanna (literally, "save now") and had once again cleared the temple of the merchants and moneychangers. He spent that night in nearby Bethany, and on the second day of the last week of His life, He and the disciples made their way back to Jerusalem. As they trod the path to the city, Jesus encouraged the disciples to pray with faith and promised that whatever they asked for in faith, they would receive. He then offered this additional counsel:

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
-- Mark 11:25

Forgiving others, including ourselves, is a key to effective prayer. If we harbor ill feelings against others, it is like throwing a wet blanket on our prayers. It smothers them as it buries us under a mountain of negativity and bitterness. God cannot engage with us unless He forgives us, and He will not forgive us if we do not forgive others. 

Forgiveness is not an easy act. When we have been wronged or hurt, it is hard to forgive the perpetrator; but when the wrong or hurt has been done to someone we love, forgiveness can be nearly impossible. It may very well be the work of a lifetime to come to genuine forgiveness for those who have deeply hurt us and our loved ones. 

The natural man in each of us hates forgiveness. He wants revenge, and if he can't have it, he loves the poison of unrequited offense. He gleefully wallows in the mire of spite, anger, and a deserved grudge. He relishes a good feud that can be passed around and bequeathed to our children and their children. 

Our challenge is to overcome the natural man, so the spiritual child in each of us can have room to grow. If forgiveness does not come easily, do not despair. Pray to God to forgive your unforgiving heart and ask in sincerity for the gift of forgiveness toward others. 

As Jesus promised, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:23-24). The mountain you may need to move may be labeled "bitterness, resentment, grievance, hard feelings," but Jesus promised you can move it, and He is willing to help. 

Watch and Pray

Jesus was in the midst of His atoning agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had left His three closest friends and associates at the gate to "watch" with Him. In other words, He wanted the three chief apostles to stay awake and be there for Him if He needed them. But after Jesus had fallen on His face and prayed to the Father to spare Him this terrible suffering, followed by the submissive rejoinder, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt," He returned to His friends to find them asleep. Perhaps with a touch of frustration, but certainly with His characteristic compassion and empathy, Jesus woke them and said:  

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
-- Matthew 26:41

I think perhaps Jesus is telling His disciples that they would have to start praying for themselves. Just a few minutes earlier He had prayed magnanimously for them in the great Intercessory Prayer. But now He was about to be consumed for them. For a while it would be all He could do to pray for Himself.

Further, when He says, "the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak," I believe He is referring not to His own flesh and spirit but to those of His disciples. It is their flesh that is weak, their eyelids that are heavy with slumber. 

And against what temptation are they to pray? Is it not the temptation to let the flesh overpower the spirit? To take the easy path? To let the appetites of the body overcome the righteous desires of the soul? 

When I am weary and fatigued in body, it is so tempting to give in to the weariness, stop trying, give up the effort, and let my body do what it wants. The "natural man" within me wants ease and comfort, not struggle and perseverance.  

Prayer is the antidote to the weakness of the physical appetites. Prayer directs me away from temptation. It is hard to entertain a temptation while praying sincerely. When I feel tempted, I can pray for strength, and the very act of calling upon God can banish the temptation.

The Greatest Prayer

In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He began the long night of unspeakable suffering in the Atonement for our sins, Jesus prayed:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
-- Matthew 26:39

The greatest prayer ever prayed! I shall not attempt to elaborate on this prayer, for who can elaborate on perfection? If we can pray this and mean it, we draw truly near to God.

I Am a Pharisee of Prayer

Jesus loves every human being who has ever lived or will yet live on the earth. He paid for the sins of every single individual, including yours and mine. Therefore, I believe He loved every scribe and Pharisee. He had nothing good to say, however, about the things the scribes and Pharisees did, particularly in the name of religion. An entire chapter in the book of Matthew in the New Testament records Jesus's diatribe against the practices of the religious leaders in His day. Among the woes He pronounced is this statement: 

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
--Matthew 23:14

It is not the length of our prayers that matter but the intent and the genuineness of our communications with God. Long or short, a prayer for show -- not to speak to God but to impress the people around us -- is hypocrisy and unacceptable to God. Our Father hears every prayer, but with some prayer He is not well pleased.

I confess I struggle when I am called upon to offer a public prayer in a church meeting. Because of my nature, I instantly fret about how well my prayer will be accepted by the people listening. I want to come up with something that reflects the topic of the meeting or the concerns of those who will hear my prayer. 

I require great concentration and a fair amount of inner coercion to talk myself off that ledge of self-consciousness and fear and to prayer from my heart instead of from my head -- to pray to God for the people instead of to the people. 

Sadly, I sometimes think I am a Pharisee at heart. :-( When I calm my inner thoughts enough to hear the Holy Spirit, I can offer a sincere prayer. I admit, however, that most of the time I fail. I am grateful for forgiveness. 

Are Temple Prayers Better?

Jesus had just finished improvising a small whip and was about to clear the great temple in Jerusalem of the moneychangers and the merchants when He reminded the "den of thieves" of the original purpose of the temple they defiled:

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer;
--Matthew 21:13

The temple is a particularly good place for me to pray. Being in the House of the Lord puts me in a mindset to pray. In the temple I set aside the distractions of my busy life. I am surrounded with symbols of God's presence and love. I see Christ's atonement represented in the ordinances. I am invited to participate in the true order of prayer. And I am surrounded by others in the attitude and spirit of prayer. God does not hear better in the temple -- there is nothing mystical about it. I can simply be in a better attitude to pray when I am in His house. My prayers are not more acceptable or effective in the temple, but I can feel more acceptable and effective when I am there.

United Prayer Brings Heavenly Fireworks

Jesus's disciples wanted to know which one of them would be the greatest in heaven. This question prompted the Master to teach a series of parables and precepts about humility, being a responsible shepherd, avoiding evil, and making peace with those who would offend them, ending with an injunction to prayer together in unity:

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
-Matthew 18:19

We strengthen one another through prayer. When we agree on the thing we need and unite our desires, our prayers are additive. They compound one another. Jesus commanded us to be one, unified, and singular in our faith. When we pray together, the unity of faith has a powerful effect. 

God is pleased with righteous unity, and it appeals to His sense of economy when He can answer many prayers with a single action. God wants to bless us, and when we all ask for the same blessing, His power is unleashed in a spectacular display. Like heavenly Fourth of July fireworks, He will dazzle us and awe us with His power. He will not just move the mountain, He will blow it away.

Are you praying for someone who needs a special blessing? Ask others to join you, and then watch the Lord go to work!