Pray For Fruit

"And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.  And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."  Matthew 21:21-22

Fig tree?  Well in Matthew 21:18-20 it talks about how Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit and it withers.  This is hardly a literal reference and a major symbolical climax.  Bearing fruit in our lives is a metaphor for faith and not just any kind of fruit; fruit that is loving, joyful, kind, patient, faithful, and houses self control.  One of the ways we eat of this fruit is through prayer.

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.” Matthew 7:15-20

Prayer is an essential part of life [or should be].  It is in that time we develop our relationship with God, tap into the best parts of ourselves, and realize what real faith is.  It also is a time to allow Him to speak to us so that He may ease our ailments and show us the path to take.  Prayer is not about getting what you want or expecting just because we pray for a certain outcome or thing that it will always happen.  No, prayer is about sharing your struggles, heartaches, joys, loves, etc. with Him and allowing yourself to give into Him.  It is about developing faith [good fruit].

Be a fruit bearing tree and allow yourself to delight in faith.  It is an adventure with endless possibilities and room for growth.  Take a bit and allow all those good characteristics to surface.  They will surely lessen the valley's trek and ensure a peace at the top of the hill.