Activate Activity
And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” ~ Mark 11:21
Have you ever prayed about something and then wondered if your prayer got stuck in traffic on the way to heaven? You prayed with faith, expected God to move, and then…nothing. At least nothing you could see. If you’ve ever felt that way, today’s passage is for you.
In verse 14 of Mark 11, Jesus spoke to a fig tree and declared that no one would ever eat fruit from it again. Nothing appeared to happen on the outside. The tree looked exactly the same. There were no falling leaves, no cracking branches, and no dramatic special effects. But when Jesus spoke, something immediately began happening beneath the surface.
The next day, the disciples noticed that the tree had withered from the roots. The miracle didn’t begin when they saw it. It began the moment Jesus spoke. The visible result simply took time to catch up with the invisible work that had already begun.
Isn’t that often how God works in our lives?
When we pray according to God’s will and His Word, something begins happening immediately in the spiritual realm, even when nothing seems to be changing in the natural. God’s activity often starts at the root before it ever appears in the branches.
This is a wonderful picture of what happens when we pray over a situation, a struggle, or a problem. The moment our prayer is lifted to our Father in heaven, we have invited Him to work in circumstances we cannot control ourselves. His supernatural power begins moving in ways we may never see until much later.
Notice something else about Jesus. He didn’t spend His time talking about how disappointing the fig tree was. He spoke directly to the source. There is a valuable lesson in that for us.
Here’s the all important point. Make sure what you’re saying about your situation agrees with what you’re asking God to do.
It’s easy to pray one thing and then spend the rest of the day telling everyone how impossible the situation is. We ask God to heal, provide, restore, or intervene, then unintentionally speak words filled with doubt, fear, and discouragement. Those conversations don’t strengthen our faith. Every word we speak after praying for a situation either reinforces our faith in what we prayed for or our fear in what the current circumstance looks like.
Instead, keep your heart and your words in agreement with your prayers. If someone asks about your situation, it’s perfectly fine to say, “I’m trusting the Lord. He’s working on it.” You don’t have to pretend everything is perfect, but you also don’t have to give doubt and unbelief the microphone. After all, if God is working at the root, don’t dig the tree up every afternoon to see if it’s growing?
Here are some ways to activate your faith today:
- Pray specifically about the situation instead of worrying about it repeatedly.
- Thank God each day for working behind the scenes, even when you can’t see the results yet.
- Speak words of faith when discussing your circumstances with others.
- Fill your mind with God’s promises instead of dwelling on discouraging thoughts.
- Ask a trusted friend to pray with you and believe God’s Word together.
- Be patient. God’s timing is always accomplishing something deeper than what you can see at the moment.
Remember, faith isn’t pretending a problem doesn’t exist. Faith is believing that God is already working, even before you see the evidence.
Today I want to encourage you to keep believing that God is working at the root of every situation you’ve placed in His hands. Don’t give up because you haven’t seen immediate results. Keep praying, keep thanking Him, and keep speaking words that agree with His promises. The same Jesus who caused the fig tree to wither from the roots is still at work today. His power has not diminished, His promises have not changed, and His timing is always perfect. Stay faithful, because what God has already started beneath the surface will eventually become visible for everyone to see.
Today’s Scripture Reading: Mark 11:12 – 21
12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
And His disciples heard it.
15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.
17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
Journal:
- Is there a situation I’ve been tempted to give up praying about because I haven’t seen immediate results?
- What words have I been speaking about my circumstances? Do they encourage faith or fuel discouragement?
- What promise from God’s Word can I begin thanking Him for today while I wait?
- How can I remind myself that God is working beneath the surface, even when I can’t yet see it?
- Who can I invite to stand with me in prayer and believe God for His perfect plan to come to pass?
The Daily Dose 