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'BELIEVE, YOU SHALL HAVE': A SURPRISING LOOK AT THE BIBLICAL CONTEXT

by bruno sebrechts  
5/01/2021 / Bible Studies

 “Therefore, I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them”(Mark 11:24)

Let's take a closer look. The context is not concerned with the fulfillment of every personal desire, but with the right personal and communal attitude in prayer. Quoting from Jeremiah, Jesus had just driven the money changers from the temple: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of robbers!” (Mark 11:17). The context of Jeremiah was a temple filled with worshippers who still trusted their own idols and cherished all kind of evil desires (Jer 7:11).  

The next day, the disciples saw that a figless fig tree Jesus had cursed shortly before had “withered away from the roots” (v. 20). Then Peter asks Jesus’ about it. How can they approach God with peace of mind after Jesus had acted so fiercely in the temple and then withered the fig tree? In the context of Jeremiah’s temple account, a figless fig tree was an image of God’s people ripe for judgement and no longer privileged to get answered prayers (Jer. 8:13-15; 11:11,16; 14:12; 15:1).

In his reply, Jesus admonished them to have a correct attitude of faith. “Have faith in God” (11:22) —not faith in egocentric religious practices, nor in the power of their faith, but faith in God and his will; or more literally, “have the faith of God” (YLT); or freely translated, “have the kind of trust that comes from God” (CJB). The fig tree was withered “from its roots”, illustrating that God’s people can only be blessed when the hidden roots of their spiritual lives are healthy.

Jesus then explains that faith that genuinely originates from God can move mountains, which was an Old Testament metaphor for overcoming huge obstacles on the way to destiny (Isa 40:4). To be sustained and to prevail, faith must align with the character and will of God. His answer may or may not agree with our personal expectations. The original Greek “all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive (them), and you shall have (them)” does not include the pronoun “them”, and the pronouns “you” are plural. These verses challenge us to expect a divine answer for any intentional prayer offered in unity and in mutual forgiveness (vs 25-26). However, God can surpass or go against our specific expectations because he knows what is best. His answer may be “yes, no, or wait.” The Message Bible translation has  paraphrased verse 24 (Ye shall have) as "you’ll get God’s everything". God invites us to boldly pray in the “house of prayer”, but if it is all about self-interest, the house becomes a “den of robbers.” Prayer is not an opportunity to fulfill financial greed, as it was with the money changers, nor to appease egoistic self-interests, as it was with the contemporaries of Jeremiah. Prayer is an opportunity to get God’s help to overcome enormous obstacles in fulfilling our mission, and that should be the intention of genuine faith. If the Christian community adopts such an attitude, they can pray for “anything,” and they will get God’s answer. 

This article is available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Farsi. 

Bruno Sebrechts is a counselor and Bible teacher with over twenty-five years of pastoral experience. He saw God at work, especially in the healing/deliverance of the most damaged believers. His writings are the result of his extensive experience and continuous study. See www.LightInOurDarkness.net

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