Faith and Prayer

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Prayer and faith are inseparable. Why do we pray? Because we believe in God and that He listens to our prayers. Because God commands us to pray. When we work, we work. When we pray, God works. It is by God’s grace that our prayers are heard and answered. How does God answer our prayers?

God answers with a “Yes.” When He does, it means He will do it His way. And His ways are not necessarily our ways (Isaiah 55:8).

For centuries, the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. For 400 years they cried out to the LORD in prayer, asking for freedom. God answered with a “Yes!” His way to answer their prayer was to call a runaway murderer named Moses: “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10).

Did Moses respond with joy and gratefulness to answered prayer? No. He questioned God’s way. “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt’” (Exodus 3:11)? Moses was saying, "Thank You, Lord, for listening to our prayer, but please don’t use me. I am not capable. I am not eloquent. Who am I to go in front of Pharaoh, the richest and most powerful man in this country? Answer my prayer, Lord, but do not use me. Do it my way, not Yours."

Are you like Moses, insisting God answers your prayer your way, forgetting that His love and wisdom for us is complete?

When God says “Yes,” do you say “No, the cost is too great” like the ten spies sent to scout the Promised Land (Numbers 13:31)? In Joshua 3:13, the flooded river Jordan did not recede until the priests carrying the ark stepped into it. Are you reluctant to take the first step of faith? Do you pray for healing in your relationships but refuse to assume the humility of apologizing?

All of us have experienced answered prayers. Often, though, we forget them. Luke tells the story of ten lepers, all miraculously cleansed by Jesus. Only one came back and “fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. Jesus said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? The nine—where are they’” (Luke 17:12-17)? Are we quick to forget God’s faithfulness and
grace?

At one point the disciples quarreled among themselves because they were hungry. Jesus said “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand” (Mark 8:14-21)? Can you relate?

Are you praying for the salvation of a loved one? Are you asking God to change the heart of that person? To divinely intervene with indubitable miracles in his life? But God is saying, “To answer your prayer, I want to use you.” Instead of responding with “I am not eloquent; I may not be able to answer his questions well,” try trusting in God to use you. You have Christ’s Spirit in you. He will give you the wisdom and the means to obey Him.

God’s answer is “Wait.” When we find it hard to wait, it may be because we do not know when the answer is coming. Or, because we really do not know what we are waiting for. Living in a world of instants — coffee, noodles, fast food, instant messaging — we have learned to frown upon waiting. We find we are okay to wait as long as we know when the answer is coming. But it is no longer fine we do not know.

Most of the time, when you and I are waiting for something and God says “Wait,” what we wait for is God’s “yes.” The truth is, for all our waiting, God can still say “No.” We should not assume that God’s “Wait” is as good as a delayed “Yes.”

Saul was a king who did not know what it meant to wait. In 1 Samuel, the prophet Samuel had just anointed Saul king over the nation of Israel. At that time, they were at war with the Philistines.

God’s instructions were for Saul to wait seven days for Samuel. Samuel, as God’s high priest, would perform rites for the burnt and peace offerings.

Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. He waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings” (1 Samuel 13.7-9)! Saul didn’t wait. He sacrificed the burnt offering himself. The consequences were drastic.

“Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you’” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

Inability to wait also occurred among the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked them to keep watch and pray. But he found them sleeping.

When God tells us to wait, do we become impatient? Grumble? Lose heart and give up? Go ahead of God and take matters into our own hands?

“Rest in the LORD” we are admonished in Psalm 37:7. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The stillness is a prerequisite to knowing God.

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

What should take up our time while we wait? Prayer is number one. “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope,” sang the psalmist (Psalm 130:5). “My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning. Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning" (Psalm 130:6). God tells us to wait expectantly because Jesus is more reliable than the sunrise.

Wait with childlike expectation, trusting your Father to meet you and your need in His perfect timing, wisdom, understanding, power and love.

God says, “No.” Prayer and faith are inseparable. Faith without prayer is just believing in yourself. Prayer without faith is just babbling some words.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego’s faith were tested by fire. Because of their fervent prayer life to God and their refusal to bow down to idolatry, King Nebuchadnezzar sentenced them to be thrown into a blazing furnace.

“The three men replied, ‘Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. But even if He doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up’” (Daniel 3:16-18). Whatever the outcome, their faith rested firmly in God.

Imagine how much God can use a person who trusts Him completely. Whatever the Lord’s reply is — yes, no, wait — the person chooses to obey. Our faith rests in Jesus, not in our circumstances or the outcome of our prayer requests.

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

God works. Even when He says no to our requests and we don’t see why, we must trust that God knows what He is doing.

“Abba, remove this cup from me,” God the Son prayed. God the Father answered “No,” and saved us all from death. Jesus said, “Not my will, but what You will” (Mark 14:35-36). Amen!