Praying with Confidence Because God Answers
By Sarah Frazer
Bible Reading:
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 (ESV)
My children ask me all of the time for things. Most of the time they ask me for small things, like food or a drink. Sometimes they are looking for something like a specific shirt or shoes. Occasionally, especially as they have gotten older, the requests tend to be bigger.
“Will you drive me to the movies with my friends?”
“Can you buy this for me?”
“Can I go here for my birthday?”
“Can you help me fill out this job application?”
Those requests often require more than just a few minutes of my time. As a mother, I want to answer my children’s requests, even it means I am inconvenienced. Sometimes I can, but because I am only human, sometimes I can’t accommodate them.
Aren’t you glad we have a Heavenly Father who is not limited by time, space, or ability? God the Father never sleeps (Psalm 121) and is always listening to our prayers. (Psalm 116) Not only that, Jesus reminds us in Mark 11 that God answers our prayers.
Jesus’ declaration in Mark 11:24 is not a new teaching of scripture. All throughout the Old Testament we see reminders of God’s promise to answer His people’s cry. We see this in Exodus when God heard the cries of the Israelites while they were enslaved in Egypt. He heard them and acted to set them free.
We see this when Hannah cries out to God for a child and she gives birth to Samuel. Or when David asks God for victory, and God grants it. Over and over again the God of the Old Testament answers the prayers of His people. When Jesus comes on the scene in the Gospels, although He is bringing a New Covenant, not based on the law, we see so many things about God’s character that do not change.
Jesus says that the same God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. God still answers prayer. It might be tempting to read a verse like Mark 11:24 and think that our prayers are only heard or answered because we believe. Is it our faith that makes the prayer possible?
No. It is not our faith, because in the same passage Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed, can move mountains. It is not the size of the faith but who we have our faith in that matters.
When we come to God in prayer, we need not worry if we believe enough or have enough faith. So many times I’ve prayed for things and then they didn’t happen. God shut a door I wanted to be open or a person died who I wanted to live. Healing sometimes doesn’t come and dreams do die. Was it our lack of faith that caused the defeat?
I believe that as we lift our prayers to God, it is actually not about us at all. When we pray, we come to God with even the smallest faith, trusting that whatever He desires to do, He will do. We focus our hearts and minds on the power of God Himself. We rejoice in a God who hears, listens, and answers. We take comfort that no prayer we will ever pray will be ignored or unanswered, even if it feels that way.
I think that Jesus’ teaching on prayer gives us courage to believe that God longs to answer our prayers, but sometimes we need to trust His timing.
I understand that sometimes our prayers go unanswered year after year. Sometimes we pray for things and the answer is no. In those times, in those moments, may we cling to the promise that God is all-wise, all-knowing, and all-loving. He does not always give us an explanation, but He does give us His presence. No matter what devastating event has happened, God has never left us.
Maybe your requests for God are small, like help me have patience or give me peace tonight. Or maybe your requests lifted up to God in prayer are huge, like help me get this job, get married, or help this person come to salvation. God, our loving heavenly Father, longs to answer our prayers, big or small. We can trust that each prayer is heard and will be answered.
Maybe even today!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What big or small thing are you asking God for today? Do you believe God hears and will answer? How can you trust in God’s character during this time of waiting for your answer?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 65:25
Psalm 145:18
1 John 5:14
Psalm 34:17-18
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Ben White
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