Praying With Assurance: Keys to Profit and ProgressSample

FAITH: THE HAND THAT RECEIVES IN PRAYER

Prayer without faith is empty talk. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Notice the order: you believe first, then you receive. Many Christians reverse this—they want to see first before they believe. That is not faith; that is sight. Faith is the invisible hand that collects what grace has made available. Without it, your prayers are mere wishes. Hebrews 11:6 reinforces this truth: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Effective prayer demands faith in the God who hears and answers.

Faith is not positive thinking or mental strength; it is anchored in the Word of God. You cannot exercise faith beyond your knowledge of Scripture. If you don’t know what God has promised, you cannot believe Him for it. That is why many prayers are powerless—they are not rooted in the Word. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He believed even when there was no natural evidence. If you pray while still doubting, you are like the wave of the sea, unstable and tossed about, and James says such a man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

Beloved, cultivate faith deliberately in your prayer life. Feed on the Word daily so your faith has substance. When you pray, refuse to contradict your petitions with words of doubt. Stop digging up the seed you planted with unbelieving confessions. Speak faith until your heart is persuaded. Train yourself to take God at His Word, even when circumstances scream otherwise. Faith is not denial of reality; it is insistence on God’s reality over and above the natural. When your prayers are clothed in faith, they carry the fragrance of heaven and command results on earth. Today, rise above doubt, anchor your requests on God’s Word, and receive with the invisible hand of faith.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:
Am I praying in faith or in doubt? How can I grow in the Word so my prayers become rooted, strong, and effective?

PRAYER:
Lord, help me to anchor every prayer on Your Word. Let my faith rise above doubt and unbelief, so my prayers produce undeniable results. Amen.