Don't discount so-called "faithless" prayers. They matter.
It's true that Jesus wants the faith of his followers to grow. It's true that he places great emphasis on faith.
But that doesn't mean that God doesn't hear and answer prayers where faith is weak.
A case in point is John Wimber's experience at the outset of his renowned healing prayer ministry.
He had launched a healing prayer ministry at his California church and for 10 months he and others prayed unsuccessfully for healing of people with illnesses. In his book Power Healing, he writes that he and other members of the prayer team became deeply discouraged.
Finally, he cried out to God: "You tell us to believe in healing and pray for healing, but you're not doing anything. It's not fair!"
The very next morning, a member of his congregation asked him to rush over and pray for his sick wife. He arrived at the house and groaned inwardly when he saw the man's wife. She had a bad fever and her face was red and swollen.
"I walked over to her and laid hands on her, mumbled a faithless prayer," he writes, "and then I turned around and began explaining to her husband why some people do not get healed - a talk that I had perfected during the previous 10 months."
Then, he noticed the husband was grinning. He whirled around to see the woman out of bed.
Astonished, he asked her what happened and she replied: "I'm well. You healed me. Would you like to stay for some coffee or breakfast?"
It turned out to be the first step in a world-wide healing prayer ministry.
Wimber's experience teaches me that God is willing to act if we are willing to turn to him in humble submission. In fact, Wimber's prayer was not exactly "faithless". He had enough faith in God to turn to him once again despite many failures in healing prayer.
I realize that it is impossible to understand everything about prayer and why one prayer is answered "Yes" and another is not.
I am encouraged by the passage in Mark 9 where a father asks Jesus to heal his son of a deaf and mute spirit. The spirit had caused his son to have a seizure and fall to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
The father asks Jesus to take pity on him and his son if he can do anything.
Jesus replies: "'If you can?' Everything is possible for one who believes."
The father declares: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
And then Jesus heals the boy.
I believe Jesus answered the father's request for a strengthened faith.
But even a teensy-weensy bit of faith may be enough to see a wonderful answer from the Lord.
So, we must never stop praying.
It's true that Jesus wants the faith of his followers to grow. It's true that he places great emphasis on faith.
But that doesn't mean that God doesn't hear and answer prayers where faith is weak.
A case in point is John Wimber's experience at the outset of his renowned healing prayer ministry.
He had launched a healing prayer ministry at his California church and for 10 months he and others prayed unsuccessfully for healing of people with illnesses. In his book Power Healing, he writes that he and other members of the prayer team became deeply discouraged.
Finally, he cried out to God: "You tell us to believe in healing and pray for healing, but you're not doing anything. It's not fair!"
The very next morning, a member of his congregation asked him to rush over and pray for his sick wife. He arrived at the house and groaned inwardly when he saw the man's wife. She had a bad fever and her face was red and swollen.
"I walked over to her and laid hands on her, mumbled a faithless prayer," he writes, "and then I turned around and began explaining to her husband why some people do not get healed - a talk that I had perfected during the previous 10 months."
Then, he noticed the husband was grinning. He whirled around to see the woman out of bed.
Astonished, he asked her what happened and she replied: "I'm well. You healed me. Would you like to stay for some coffee or breakfast?"
It turned out to be the first step in a world-wide healing prayer ministry.
Wimber's experience teaches me that God is willing to act if we are willing to turn to him in humble submission. In fact, Wimber's prayer was not exactly "faithless". He had enough faith in God to turn to him once again despite many failures in healing prayer.
I realize that it is impossible to understand everything about prayer and why one prayer is answered "Yes" and another is not.
I am encouraged by the passage in Mark 9 where a father asks Jesus to heal his son of a deaf and mute spirit. The spirit had caused his son to have a seizure and fall to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
The father asks Jesus to take pity on him and his son if he can do anything.
Jesus replies: "'If you can?' Everything is possible for one who believes."
The father declares: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
And then Jesus heals the boy.
I believe Jesus answered the father's request for a strengthened faith.
But even a teensy-weensy bit of faith may be enough to see a wonderful answer from the Lord.
So, we must never stop praying.
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