Confidence vs. Faith

It is, of course, evident to you now that the two essentials of acceptable prayer are implicit reliance on the wisdom and the goodness of God, and the spirit of forgiveness. The first is the only attitude that can be rightly assumed toward God; and the second is the attitude that we should all assume toward our fellowmen. There is certainly no use in praying to God if we do not trust Him; and as certainly, God will not forgive us and answer our prayers, if we are unwilling to forgive our fellowmen and help them. But this attitude of unwavering trust in God is really more than merely an essential of prayer. It is a principle of power in both the spiritual and the temporal life of man. In this lesson we shall consider the power of faith—the invincible power of childlike confidence.

The incident of the fig tree.

It is recorded that Jesus cursed one morning a certain fig tree that it should no more bear fruit. The next morning, as Jesus and the disciples passed by from Bethany to Jerusalem, they saw that the fig tree was dried up from the roots. "And Peter, calling to remembrance, saith unto (Jesus), Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away!

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you. That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

{106} Forgiveness accompanies prayer.

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Like the other sayings of Jesus, this one, too, is full of meaning and interest. But as with the other sayings, too, the meaning of this one is easy to find. If we try to remember what we have learned in the preceding lessons, we shall be able easily to understand this one.

Reason for concrete examples.

Many people have stumbled because of this forceful saying of Jesus. How can a man by the exercise alone of faith remove mountains? But such people have failed to understand Jesus's method of teaching. Whenever He could, Jesus emphasized His doctrine with concrete example. Because Jesus did not teach abstractly, even little children may understand Him. And the people whom He taught during His earthly life, were almost like little children. He had to make everything very clear to them. So, now, He wanted to impress them with the unlimited power of faith. He used, therefore, the vigorous and startling figure of moving a mountain into the sea: or as St. Luke has worded it, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree (mulberry tree), Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."

{107} The interpretation.

You will remember, however, that nowhere did Jesus ever teach His disciples to pray for material things, except to supply their daily needs. Neither did He ever teach them to ask for things impossible or impracticable for God to give. It is to be understood, then, that Jesus did not intend to encourage men to try to move mountains by the mere exercise of faith. He intended a larger, a spiritual meaning. Faith is so powerful a principle, that, through the exercise of it, one may remove obstacles to sublime spiritual blessings, as difficult to be moved as a mountain. By such a striking figure did Jesus impress upon His disciples that nothing is impossible to faith.

Jesus's own interpretation.

That this was what Jesus wanted to impart, is apparent from His own application of the concrete illustration. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Or, as the statement is worded in a modern translation, "Believe that you shall receive all things for which you pray and ask and you shall have them." And this invincible power of faith in prayer is suppo............