As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.

Is it easy or hard for you to trust people? What experiences have contributed to this difficulty or ease? In many instances, a struggle to trust people can be traced back to moments when a person failed us or behaved differently than we expected. If this happens often enough, we can struggle to trust anyone. Throughout the Bible, we see story after story of people seeking to gain for themselves what only God could give them. Across generations, people have had trust issues and difficulty believing what God said would come to pass. When Jesus came, He fulfilled every promise, proving God to be trustworthy. Jesus lived with complete trust in God as He exemplified in this passage. Jesus restored what was broken and reminded us that we have every reason to believe God.

Is your life marked by this kind of faith in God? Do you really believe He is who He said He is and that He will do what He says He will do? Do you live with expectation and anticipation that He will be at work in your life? No doubt, authentic faith is important to God. He is ready to listen, answer prayers, and move in powerful ways when we come to Him. Will we trust Him?

• When have you struggled to believe God? Is going to God more likely your first response or your last resort? Why?
• What are some things you need to believe God for now?
• Pray and ask for God to grow your trust in Him. Bring your requests before Him.