Luke 17:5-10 (NIV) “The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith! He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.
As you read on, Jesus appears to ramble off the subject and one might even think that he had decided to ignore their request. However, on closer examination of the text, He did answer them. The answer was not what they were expecting and probably not what they wanted to hear.
Jesus taught them here, that a true servant does not serve himself FIRST. A true servant lays aside his own desires and needs and makes his FIRST priority, the desires and needs of his master. Jesus wanted them FIRST to understand this critical lesson, so essential to being a faithful servant.
As Christians, we have been given “the measure of faith Rom 12:3”. So, since we already have been given a measure of faith, we too, should be able to command even nature to obey us. However, FIRST, we need to have our priorities in order also. This FIRST requires that we insure that ANY requests we make are in accordance with Gods’ will. FIRST, being led by the Spirit and having “the mind of Christ”. Then, “if our hearts do not condemn us”, we will be making a request, as a servant given the authority to ask on behalf of, or… “in Jesus’ name”.
1John 3:21-22 “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
1 John 5:14-2(NIV) “This is the confidence (say faith) we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
“In Jesus’ name, we pray” should not be a casual tag line at the end of a prayer; it should be an affirmation of our conviction that we have Jesus’ authorization and approval.
If we are not confident that we have the authorization to pray in a specific manner on a specific issue, shift gears. We need not struggle, worry or be frustrated at our temporal inadequacies. At this point we can shift gears and pray in the Spirit, which will assure that our inadequate understanding of the will of God will be bridged by the Holy Spirit praying through us.
Isaiah 28:11-12 “…This is the REST wherewith ye may cause the weary to REST…”
Rom 8:26-27 “ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The question that begs for an answer at this point is; “Can Jesus trust us with His authority yet?” Or, are we still making requests that seem good to us, but we are not fully convinced are the will of the Master?
James 4: 3. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
The pattern Son is our example. Following His pattern, exactly, is the only way we can build the old waste places, come to spiritual maturity, and glorify our Heavenly Father, as Jesus did.
John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me”.
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