Mark 11:24

Mark 11:24 is Jesus' teaching on believing prayer -- He calls His disciples to pray with genuine trust that God hears and will answer. He says this after the lesson of the withered fig tree, urging confidence in prayer.

The instruction centers on faith: "believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Jesus invites a confident, trusting prayer that rests on God's goodness and power rather than on doubt. This is not a formula that guarantees we will get whatever we wish, as if prayer were a tool to command God. The wider witness of Scripture and Jesus' own example show that true prayer is offered in line with God's will and character, asking as God's children who trust their Father. What Jesus uproots here is the timid, doubting prayer that asks while expecting nothing. He wants His followers to come boldly, believing that God truly listens and acts. The promise encourages persistent, hopeful prayer that takes God at His word. Read alongside the next verse about forgiveness, it shows that such prayer flows from a heart rightly related to God and to others. Believing prayer is the privilege of those who know the One they ask.