When you pray, are you praying in faith? I’m sure everyone thinks so, but is it always the case?
Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God through praise, thanksgiving, confession, intercession, and general conversation with God. But sometimes our intercessory prayers lack faith. Rather, we may be doubting that God is telling us what to do or even that He can do what we ask.
Prayers made in faith are prayers that know we are loved, trust that God will care for us and meet our needs, believe in God’s promises to us, and seek God’s presence and perfect will.
“And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22
I believe there are four ways that prayers made in faith can produce results.
1. Raise the hand of others in faith
Have you ever been in a difficult situation in your life where you felt hopeless, defeated, or exhausted and didn’t have the energy to pray alone? Yes, you have. Moses knew that feeling too.
“As long as Moses held up his hand, the Israelites were winning, but every time he lowered his hand, the Amalekites were winning. But Moses’ hands were weary, so they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur lifted up their hands, one on one side and the other on the other side. So Moses’ hands were steady until the sun went down.” Exodus 17:11-12
Sometimes we join someone in prayer and are called to “raise your hands.” To intercede in faith on behalf of others. If their faith or strength is weak, we pray for them on their behalf.
I don’t know about you, but I seem to pray more boldly and in faith when I pray for others. I declare God’s promises to their situation, trusting that He will do what He says. I will continue to “lift up their hands” until I know God’s answer.
The following Biblical account emphasizes this type of faith.
“And they brought to Jesus a paralytic man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic man, ‘Son, take courage, for your sins are forgiven you.'” Matthew 9:2
The apostle Mark expands on this story by not only bringing the paralytic man to Jesus, but they cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down near Jesus. Well, that was bold! Jesus saw the faith of those who brought the paralytic to Him for healing, and He healed them physically as well as spiritually.
Let us boldly raise the hand of others of faith. The Lord sees our faith and responds as He promised.
2. Prayers on behalf of others of faith
You may be reading this thinking, “So, isn’t praying for others the same as lifting up their hands in prayer?” I think that’s a little different. When we pray on behalf of others, the person we are praying for may not even know who we are. Or we may see a need in that person that we didn’t realize we had, or we may not know how to pray, or we may not be able to pray.
The following Bible account shows what it means to pray for those who cannot pray for themselves.
“An official of the synagogue came and fell down before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay hands on her, and she will live.” When Jesus entered the official’s house and saw the flautist and the crowd making a noise, he said to him, “Come out.” The girl is not dead, but asleep. ”And they began to laugh at Jesus. But when the crowd had been driven out, Jesus came in and took her by the hand, and the girl stood up. ” Matthew 9:18, 24-25
This official’s faith was so bold that he asked Jesus to come and lay hands on the child, and she would live. Again, Jesus saw the faith of the official and healed the girl.
For years, I had prayed for someone in my life to get sober, but I doubted my prayers would be answered. Because, given their living situation, they wouldn’t have been given half a chance. One night I reached my own breaking point about this situation and had the boldness to cry out in faith to God for Him to remove the chains of addiction from this person. In the most miraculous way, God did just that. My years of prayer were not in vain, but healing came when I prayed in faith, believing that God would heal.
God hears and answers prayers made by faith on behalf of others.
3. Intercede for yourself by faith
How easy is it for you to pray for yourself? I realized that I rarely prayed for myself. know! ! It seems silly, but it’s not. As I said before, I pray boldly for others, but for myself, I know God will heal me, but will He heal me? Maybe some of you can relate.
The story of the woman who bled shows bold faith in herself.
“And a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his cloak. For she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his garment, I will be well.'” But Jesus turned and looked at her and said, “Daughter, take courage.” Your faith made you well. ‘The woman immediately recovered. ” Matthew 9:20-22
This was a very bold move for her. Here’s why: 1. She was unclean and should have been separated according to the law, 2. She touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, which at the time was a sacred part of the robe from the point of view of kingship. Jesus saw her great faith and healed her.
This type of healing and answered prayer is as possible for us today as it was for her then. All we have to do is pray in faith. I do not promise that everyone who prays will be physically healed, but God will touch and bring healing to everyone who prays in faith in some way, even if they are not physically healed.
4. Common Prayer of Faith
“Where two or three gather together in my name, I am with them.” Matthew 18:20
When a community prays in faith, there is great power because God promises to be among them.
Meet over coffee and you’ll share testimony after testimony of the miraculous answers to prayer you’ve witnessed when your church or community prayed together for a specific need.
Years ago, I discovered a lump on my neck that turned out to be a thyroid nodule. If the first biopsy does not give a satisfactory result and the second biopsy does not give a satisfactory result, the only option is to perform a thyroidectomy, which is a fairly extensive operation. I was placed on the prayer chains of various churches and required that the second biopsy not only yield a suitable sample, but also that the results be benign. After several different church communities prayed in faith on my behalf, not only was a suitable sample obtained, but no cancer was found. The doctor was very surprised and wondered if he would be able to get a suitable sample the second time. However, the prayers of God and believers…
The following Biblical account lends further credence to corporate prayer made by faith.
“As Jesus went from there, two blind men followed him and cried out, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” When Jesus entered the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, it will be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. ” Matthew 9:27-30
When Jesus saw these two men crying out to Him in faith with a common voice, He healed them of their blindness.
May we be a church that prays in faith as a community. As a result, we see God move in amazing ways.
Although the Biblical accounts discussed above may not mention prayer, their interactions with Jesus are no different than how we pray to God today. They were able to talk to Jesus while He was standing in front of them. We speak to Jesus through prayer.
“Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus said to him, “You have seen me, and you have believed.” Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:28-29
May we have the same bold faith and communion with Jesus as those who saw him firsthand. Because in doing so, our prayers of faith will yield results beyond anything we could have hoped for or imagined.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/TinnakornJorruang
Karen Dell Tattoo is a blogger, author, women’s ministry leader, pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother who is passionate about God’s Word. Her blog, “Growing Together in Grace and Knowledge,” and her books, “Choosing to Trust God: Breaking the Habit of Worry,” “A 30-Day Devotional,” and “Choosing to Trust God Companion Journal,” reveal her heart offering biblical insights to inspire women to grow in, through, and overcome hardship. Karen and her husband live in Rhode Island and enjoy walking in the woods, petting owls, and spending time with their grandchildren.
