Jesus made some stupendous promises for those who pray with faith.
But what does it mean to "pray with faith"?
It is something that I have wrestled with over the years.
Sometimes, people pray with little or no faith and God will answer, "Yes." And sometimes they pray fervently but wrongly and God says, "No."
John Wimber, founder of the charismatic Vineyard movement, believed that faith was very important in prayer. In his healing ministry, he always looked for someone who had faith - a relative or friend - if the sick person was without faith.
And yet, he noted in his book Power Healing that he and his church saw no healings for about year after they launched a healing ministry. In fact, the breakthrough came after he uttered what he said was a faithless prayer over a woman with a high fever. She was healed.
It is easy to forget that God is the healer - not me or anyone else.
Andy Stanley, a renowned American author and pastor, has said that "walking by faith is simply living as if God is who he says he is and that he will do everything he has promised to do."
So faith must be in God - not in my ability or gifts or how I feel.
I like what Samuel Chadwick, a British Methodist preacher and teacher a century ago, says about praying with faith in his book The Path of Prayer.
He notes that Jesus declared that "all things are possible to him that believes".
"Without faith it is impossible to please God," Chadwick writes. "Without faith it is impossible to have fellowship with God. Without faith man can do nothing with God, and God can do nothing with man."
Then, he outlines several essentials for praying with faith, taken from the epistle of James in chapters 1, 4, and 5.
As praying people, we must:
But what does it mean to "pray with faith"?
It is something that I have wrestled with over the years.
Sometimes, people pray with little or no faith and God will answer, "Yes." And sometimes they pray fervently but wrongly and God says, "No."
John Wimber, founder of the charismatic Vineyard movement, believed that faith was very important in prayer. In his healing ministry, he always looked for someone who had faith - a relative or friend - if the sick person was without faith.
And yet, he noted in his book Power Healing that he and his church saw no healings for about year after they launched a healing ministry. In fact, the breakthrough came after he uttered what he said was a faithless prayer over a woman with a high fever. She was healed.
It is easy to forget that God is the healer - not me or anyone else.
Andy Stanley, a renowned American author and pastor, has said that "walking by faith is simply living as if God is who he says he is and that he will do everything he has promised to do."
So faith must be in God - not in my ability or gifts or how I feel.
I like what Samuel Chadwick, a British Methodist preacher and teacher a century ago, says about praying with faith in his book The Path of Prayer.
He notes that Jesus declared that "all things are possible to him that believes".
"Without faith it is impossible to please God," Chadwick writes. "Without faith it is impossible to have fellowship with God. Without faith man can do nothing with God, and God can do nothing with man."
Then, he outlines several essentials for praying with faith, taken from the epistle of James in chapters 1, 4, and 5.
As praying people, we must:
- Ask (James 1:5): There is "no limit to the range of prayer," says Chadwick. "God waits to be asked before he gives the gifts that supply man's deepest needs."
- Ask in faith (James 1:6): As James says, a person who doubts is "double-minded" - unsure what to believe or ask. A person of faith trusts that God will do what he promises.
- Ask aright (James 4:3): "God takes account, not only of what we want, but of why we want it," Chadwick writes. "He looks at the heart." Sin can stand in the way of God's answers. Lack of forgiveness is another issue. Self-seeking is still another barrier.
- Ask righteously (James 5:13-18): Personal integrity is a powerful argument for our prayers to God. Chadwick says that "faith is no substitute for right living".
- Ask earnestly: "God promises to be found of us when we seek him with all our hearts," says the author. "Elijah's prevailing prayer was intense in its passion."
- Ask in the Spirit: Elijah's prayer was "inspired, instructed and empowered of the Holy Spirit".
- Ask in the prayer of faith: As Hebrews 11 points out, the great men and women of the Bible "dared and endured by faith, even dying believing". Chadwick underlines Jesus' great promise in Mark 11:24: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours."
There is plenty of material for me to reflect upon as I pray. Is my heart right with God and other people? Are my motives godly? Am I clinging to God's promises such as Mark 11:24? Am I seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance as I pray? Most of all, do I trust that God will do what he says he will do?
If the answer is yes to these questions, I can pray with real confidence.
No comments:
Post a Comment