God Knows What We Need

Observations From My Study (Mark 11:25-30)

Earlier this week I wrote about cross references and their usefulness for correctly interpreting Scripture. Today I've got a short Bible study built on the usage of cross references that was a real eye-opener to me on how important prayer really is.

Let's take a look at today's passage:

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25-30)

So this passage is about faith in God and faith through prayer. We are to be faithful in our prayers, knowing that God hears and answers. The main point that I'm trying to make is based off of a cross reference in verse 24 to Matthew 6:8: "[Y]our Father knows what you need before you ask him." Now, think about that. God, the Almighty, the Lord of the Universe, knows what we, the church, need before we even ask. That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask; it means we should, and we should rest assured that God knows what we need and will provide.

God doesn't always answer "Yes." Sometimes we pray for something that is not what God wills. Sometimes God answers "Yes" but it takes time or He answers in a manner we don't expect. The point is that God knows what we need and will always provide that for us, because He knows what we need. He made us! And it's important to remember that there's a difference between what we need and what we think we need. God knows what we truly need, and He will always, always provide.