"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:7-11 (NASB)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)
Prayer and faith are inseparable. If we believe God loves us, rewards whose who seek him, answers our prayers, and is faithful to his promises, we will pray. The absence of prayer betrays an absence of faith, which probably has at its root a flawed or damaged relationship with Abba Father.
Many people feel awkward in God’s presence, not feeling truly assured that they are welcome and beloved, even though the Bible clearly teaches this.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB)
To be effective in prayer, we must learn to come confidently and often into God’s presence to spend time with him, listen, worship, make petitions, declare, and give thanks.
We may need for the Spirit to set us free from our fears of rejection or unwarranted guilt and shame. Satan desires to cloud our relationship with God by telling us we are unworthy to be welcomed into His presence. Jesus delivered us from all condemnation by taking our guilt and judgment upon himself, enabling us to have confidence with God.
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34 (ESV) So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:16-18 (ESV)
Once we have confidence to pray, it is important to align ourselves with God’s will and not simply ask for what we want.
Prayer is a way for us to gain God’s perspective and heart as well as to share our heart, concerns, needs, and desires with him. If we pray according to his will, we can be confident he will grant our petitions. He will not give us something that will ultimately hurt us.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)
When we pray in faith according to God’s will sometimes God will answer immediately, but much of the time he requires that we persevere in prayer. Faith perseveres. Jesus addressed this aspect of the prayer of faith.
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8 (ESV)
A long-term commitment to prayer is a sure sign of faith.
The absence of persevering prayer indicates an absence of faith, according to this parable.
While it is true that faith is a matter of the heart, it is also true that it is revealed by what it does. Faith believes that God is real, his promises are true, that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to give us access to God, that God loves and cares about us, and that he will answer our prayers, even though it may take a while.
We need to ask ourselves what our prayer life says about our faith and our relationship with Abba Father. If you are like most of us, there is a lot of room for improvement. Why not ask the Holy Spirit to begin to develop a stronger prayer life in you?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, I want to be more confident and committed to prayer. Help me come boldly and continually into God’s presence. Help me to pray according to your will. Let me make a difference on this earth through my prayer life. Amen.
