Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. "
Let's see. Since I will need to go see my children who live a few miles to the west, it can be a nuisance to have to drive over Huntley Mountain, why don't I just asked the LORD to toss it out into the Atlantic. Nothing wrong, right?
Just about everything! I'm told not to test my God. (Matt 4:7). Jesus is not talking about a causal, off the cuff belief, but a transforming conviction that He is Lord. I'm sure that a prayer offered to satisfy a whim comes dangerously close to taking the LORD's Name in vain. And lastly, the comment about forgiveness is a reminder that I need to be in a state of obedience to His Word in all things.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 137
Mid-day: 119:153-160
Evening: Psalm 62
Please address comments to [email protected]
Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at theFellowship Of Ailbe bookstore. A weekly edition, formatted as a bi-fold insert and suitable for distribution can be downloaded at https://www.ailbe.org/resources/item/7251-2016-voices-together-weekly-format. The next edition is available by Thursday of the prior week.
