whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it
will be yours." Mark 11:22-24
incomplete. Millions of prayers have been prayed with no faith and
have thus failed in their intent. They were not true prayer.
The astounding promise Jesus makes in Mark 11:24 seems to offer too
much. How can God offer to do "whatever [we] ask for in prayer"? And why
have so many believers asked, trusting Him and not received?
The difficulty we have with this passage is really a difficulty in
understanding faith. We tend to think of faith as a personal possession
that exists wholly within us. We figure that if we have enough faith, we
get what we ask for ? and if we don't, we won't get it.
But faith is not simply a possession. It's an aspect of relationship.
It's not something we own like an idea or a feeling. Faith always
involves another person. It trusts the other person to think and act in a
certain way. For example, throughout all the years my parents were
alive, I knew they would welcome me anytime I came home. I knew they
loved me. I trusted that they cared for me and were willing to help me
anytime. In other words, I had faith in them. This faith was based on
what I knew about them. Faith in God is like that. It's a conviction
about who He is, what He is like and how He will always act.
Praying in faith is not an inner conviction that God will act according
to our desires if only we believe hard enough. It's believing that God
will always respond to our prayers in accord with His nature, His
purposes and His promises.
God does not want us simply to toss requests at Him, hoping that some
of them will be answered. He wants us to ask, knowing He is there,
claiming what He promises, trusting that He will act in line with His
nature and that His purposes will be achieved. That's praying in faith.
When you ask a person for something in good faith, you don't ask for
something the person would not be willing to give. I could never, for
example, ask my parents to give me more than my share of their
inheritance. I knew them too well to ask that. Similarly, if you truly know
God, you will only ask for what is in accord with His will and not for
anything that is purely selfish.
If you want to grow strong in prayer, grow strong in faith. If you
want to grow strong in faith, get to know God better. If you want to get
to know God better, spend time with Him, reading His Word and listening
to His Spirit.
REFLECT
� Why do you think God has made faith such an indispensable condition
of prayer?
� What kinds of things can you do to increase your faith?
PRAYER-STARTERS FOR PRAYERING MARK 11:22-24
� Praise God for being trustworthy.
� Ask God to increase your faith so that you can pray more powerfully.
� Thank God for His willingness to hear and answer the prayers you
bring to Him in faith.
Pray a BLESSing on those who live or work near you:
� Body. Pray that God will give them the discipline to eat
healthfully, to exercise as needed and to maintain habits that will enhance their
health.
� Labor. Pray that whatever their hands find to do, they may do it
with all their might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
� Emotional. Isaiah said, "The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever"
(Isaiah 32:17). Pray that they may be righteous and may experience the
fruits of peace, quietness and confidence.
� Social. Give thanks for your neighbors. Pray that God will help
them see the qualities of, and give thanks for, the people they relate to
(Philippians 1:3).
� Spiritual. Pray that they may have faith to believe that God exists
"and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Pray for the needs of those who live or work near you, as prompted by
the Holy Spirit. Trust that God is moving in response to your prayers.
Ministries for The Mission America Coalition