This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
So today on encouraging prayer, we're going to go back to where Jesus didn't do many miracles. Mark tells us about this in his gospel in Mark 6. Jesus goes back to his hometown of Nazareth. And in verse 5, he says that Jesus could not do any miracles there except lay hands on a few sick people and heal them. James?
Yeah, it's those words could not, Robbie, that get me. I mean, you'll find them in almost every translation, but. What do they mean? I mean, do they mean that Jesus' power was blocked by a lack of faith? I don't think that's what's going on there.
I I think instead what they mean is that Because of an attitude of unbelief, Jesus didn't do miracles because Maybe miracles are for the purpose of building up those who already believe. Jesus never seemed to do miracles. He never wanted to do miracles to make people believe. That wasn't his style. That wasn't his approach at all.
Oh, that's really true. If you think about it, like in Matthew 12, when he told the Pharisees, you look for a sign, but no sign will be given to you. Yes, that's exactly right. And the thought here seems to be Relationship comes before miracle. That's really what Jesus is after is that we place faith in him before we expect to see something.
Or to put it another way, believing is seeing. Yeah, like from the movie to Santa Claus. I like that. In order to see miracles, we need to believe in him first. Of course, you know, kind of different character there.
There you go. Yeah, and we're in July, Robin. But anyhow. You know, it works if you really think about it. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it is impossible to please God because.
Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
So again, you know, there it is, belief comes first. I am in so much agreement. That helps so much, but it really raises another question. You know, what's that?
Well, it makes us think about our own lives. Is there places that we're missing out on? Are there places we're missing out on miracles because we're stepping back from our relationship with God? Yeah, you know, uh it that's really the thought, isn't it? I mean, wha what am I missing?
Because I'm not going to him, not actively engaging my faith in him. And spending more time believing that he's a rewarder of those. who diligently seek him. I mean that that question, what am I missing? You know?
And so that raises another question. How do we get out of Nazareth, right? I mean, how how do you step away from that place? where Jesus doesn't do many miracles because of a lack of faith, And I think the answer is to ask him to increase our faith. and to help us believe in him.
God, that is incredibly insightful, James, because I think that Nazareth is a place. you know, that's very familiar to us. And but you're also saying uh that if we just believe harder, we'll see more miracles. But it has to do with thinking that there's a place that we're not in right now. Right, right.
You know Mm-hmm. I'm not saying that if we just believe harder in what we're asking for. We'll we'll see. More miracles. You know, first, you know, it's interesting that Jesus did a few healing miracles there, even though people didn't believe.
So we can set that aside, especially the thought that, again, if I just believed God would have healed my loved one. What you see it working in the healings is the sovereignty of God. The healings Jesus did were not always dependent on faith, right? Yeah. The word Mark uses for mighty works, and that's what Jesus didn't do, is.
Unimus. from which we get our words dynamic or dynamite. And it's not that their lack of faith. limited Jesus. It's that their lack of faith in him caused him to hold back.
So that's what we need when we're praying for a miracle. It's not that we need more faith in what we're asking for. Jesus said, even a little faith can move mountains, right? What we need is more robust faith in Him, to fall in love with Him, to fall at His feet and worship Him and just become so captivated with Him that that that influences and informs our acts our asking. Yeah, and I I can't tell you how many times it's been so helpful what you often teach, and fortunately I've been a student for years, is that part of the reward of the prayers is just simply the relationship.
Yeah. It's just simply experiencing his presence regardless of the outcomes. It's like, oh, I got to spend time and I grew in my relationship with him, which in itself is a giant dunamis. I mean, it's a huge work when you think about it.
Well, yeah, and the perspective on the things that we're asking sometimes changes as well. Not that it... necessarily will. You know, but Uh God has a way of of placing everything in perspective. And I think he just wants to be in that place where our faith is robust.
In Him, in Him, you know, and we keep coming back there and loving Him. For who he is. Then, whether or not the request happens, you know, the answer happens. Um We're still black deeply. Yeah, and I can't tell you how many times I've enjoyed that and then I isolated it because of your teaching on that same idea is the answer to prayer, quite answer quite literally is him.
And And he's in the situation with you because quite honestly, sometimes things take a horrible turn you never saw coming. Right, and that's not you know, that's not a cop-out or a dodge. It's actually the only way to get through. Life Yeah. you know, especially as you face those those unthinkable circumstances.
But If If we have that kind of faith and That that is just enthralled with him. I I think what this shows us is. You know, again, he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. But seeking him. that matters.
There you go. This would be a good time to do that. Why don't you do that?
Well, let's do it.
So, Lord, thank you. Thank you for James, and thank you for this teaching as. Oh, uh. Just the relationship to push into that situation. We just pray you'd help our unbelief.
Because we know that we need you in order to increase that faith. And so, Lord, I pray you would help that, but then help us also push further into our relationship with you. As things transpire in our lives, we're so ready and so already there with you. That we can be a light to the others in this situation as well. And we ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
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