When You Stand Praying
Jesus attaches a condition to prayer that has nothing to do with technique
Mark 11:25NIV
Mark 11:25. The fig tree has withered, the disciples are astonished, and Jesus has just told them that faith can move mountains and that whatever they ask in prayer, believing, they will receive. Then he adds a line that many readers skip past. When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.
It is a strange place for it. He has been talking about mountains and faith, and now he is talking about grudges. The connection is that prayer is fellowship with the Father, and fellowship with the Father cannot coexist with a refusal to forgive. You cannot ask for mercy with one hand and withhold it with the other.
Midweek is a good time to check. Is there someone you are holding something against? Jesus says to deal with it before you go on praying. Not because forgiveness earns the answer, but because unforgiveness blocks the door.
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