“I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you” (Mark 11:24).
James Dobson told the story of a friend during their days in medical school who, on one occasion, should have asked for help but, instead, trusted his ow ability a little too far. This man was walking across campus trying to balance a hand full of books and his briefcase. He stopped at a fast-food stand and ordered something to eat with a milkshake to wash it down. He ever-so-carefully balanced everything, all his books, lunch, and milkshake, on top of his briefcase and began looking for an empty table at which to sit. While looking, the milkshake got the better of him, and he bent down without looking in order to take a sip from the straw. The straw missed his mouth and ended up in his nose. Embarrassed, but not at a loss, he was sure that, if he straightened up, the straw would stay in the shake. However, when he lifted his head, the straw came out of the shake and remained stuck in his nose dripping the milkshake all over the front of his suit. There he stood with all his confidence evaporated (https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/c/confidence.htm).
That story reminds us of how many times we face the difficult challenges of life in our own wisdom and strength and end up feeling defeated when circumstances do not turn out as we wish. Dr. Dobson’s friend needed to ask for help. Let us not forget that in every situation we face, especially in difficult and trying ones, we are commanded and encouraged by scripture to call upon our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. From Psalm 50:15, God tells us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” In John 14:3, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” In John 15:7, Jesus tells us, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
These are powerful promises from Jesus. Notice the conditions in which Jesus answers our prayers. First, we must not fail to call upon Him in our time of need. When needs arise and trouble comes, Jesus is to be our first call, not our last. Second, we must ask in His name; meaning, we must ask for that which aligns with His character, purpose, and will and brings Him glory and praise. Third, we must belong to Him through the new birth that comes by faith and be living faithfully and obediently to His word. The Bible promises that God hears the prayers of His faithful people.
Yet, Jesus makes another astonishing promise about prayer. In Mark 11:24, Jesus said, “I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Friends, we must believe that what we have asked of Jesus in prayer, according to His word and will, has already been provided. In other words, we must ask with full confidence in Jesus who has us in His grip.
Elisabeth Elliot’s first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca people of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. After spending twenty years as a missionary in South America, she returned to America, wrote over twenty books, and became widely known as a Christian author and speaker. Sheonce said, “Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between his will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer” (https://thelife.com/great-quotes-on-prayer).
So, now, bow your head in prayer. Seek fervently the will of God for you and the circumstance you find yourself in. Stay there, while the Holy Spirit allows you to lay hold of God’s plan for you and your circumstance and the link between what you are facing and the accomplishment of His will on earth. With Christ’s grip securely holding you, ask in His name, and believe that what you ask aligns with His will and that it has already been done. You just might experience amazing things happen.