20Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."
22So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
This is a difficult one for me to accept. Here Jesus says we will get whatever we pray for if we believe strongly enough, if we have enough faith. I know there are many things I pray for which do not seem to get answered, at least not answered in the way I would like them to be answered. Does that mean my faith is not strong enough? I thought of myself as having a strong faith. But do I really believe I can move a mountain if I just pray for it and believe it strongly enough? If I pray for the recovery of someone who is ill, do I really believe my prayers will make them well?
I do believe my prayers help, but I have a tough time believing my prayers alone would cause a miracle. It is hard to believe I am worthy of being granted my desires. Also, I strongly believe God knows better than I what is best for me. So I don't fully expect my desires to be granted exactly as requested. So maybe the reason I have a difficult time accepting this statement is because when I pray for something specific, I do not pray with the strong belief as is stated as being required in this passage. So I don't see these kinds of results from my prayers.
Jesus had performed many miracles throughout his ministry. We have many times heard him say "Your faith has made you well". Here Jesus is telling us that same faith is what will cause miracles to happen when we pray. You must have faith, no doubt in your heart, and believe what you ask will happen. It is our faith, more than anything else that will grant us what we desire. It's not a matter of being deserving, or the size of your request, but simply a matter of faith.
Does this mean my faith is not strong enough? No, I think it means we will receive what we truly believe. I strongly believe that God knows what is best for me. Therefore, my prayers are answered by what is best for me.
Jesus says we will receive what we ask for, even a miracle such as moving a mountain, if we believe strongly enough. And I believe Jesus means what he says. If I ever need a miracle, I need to believe with my whole heart when I pray.