ASK THE PASTOR WITH DALE RATZLAFF |
Q: How can I pray so my prayers will be answered?
There is more authority and power in the word of God* than I had imagined. When we finally come to the point that we really believe the word of God is true, it transforms our faith, our prayers, and our lives. Let’s look at two of Jesus’ promises to start:
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you (Jn. 15:7).
And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you” (Mk. 11:22–24).
It is hard for us to comprehend the breadth of these promises. Our carnal minds immediately want to diminish these verses to hyperbole. The illustration of the mountain, however, is probably figurative—an illustration that could stand for any “mountain of difficulty;” but if we meet the conditions, the promises should be taken at face value. Let us look at the conditions one by one.
Abide means to stay or remain. How do we abide? Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31). To have the intimate fellowship of abiding in Christ requires that we remain in His word, because that is where we find the truth about Him.
Faith is a requirement in salvation as well as a condition for answered prayer. How, then, do we build up our faith? Paul tells us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). My best faith-building exercise is to get out in nature by myself and pray God’s word aloud so I will be speaking and hearing the word of Christ. I focus on His promises to me and His declarations about me. Try this exercise; it will build your faith in God’s word and your fellowship with the Lord. You will be engrafting the word into your spirit.
Doubt is the opposite of faith. After Jesus calmed the storm on the lake, He said to His disciples, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Therefore, instead of focusing on the reasons why God’s promises may not work for us, trust in the power of God to fulfill His own promises. Build up faith by speaking and hearing Christ’s word and choosing to trust Him as you immerse yourself in the truth.
When we pray according to God’s will, we are asked to believe we have received the request of our prayer before we see any visible evidence of its fulfillment.
Pray and ask. James says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Jesus said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full” (Jn. 16:24). In the name of Jesus we come boldly to the throne of grace with our requests. John tells us we are to ask according to God’s will. “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14–15). Where do we find God’s will? In His word.
“Believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” When we pray according to God’s will, we are asked to believe we have received the request of our prayer before we see any visible evidence of its fulfillment. This belief is not something that we can muster up in the flesh; it springs from the trust we build as we worship God and saturate our spirits with the promises in His word. This kind of prayer is not repetitive, begging prayer. Rather it is prayer offered in the name of Jesus based upon the known will of God as expressed in His word.
Ask and then, like Abraham, trust God’s power to fulfill His own promise.
If we want to live the abundant life of assurance, joy, peace, and provision, then let us feed on God’s word, which is tested and true and abides forever. †
Endnote
*By word of God, I mean a trustworthy, literal translation that accurately translates the meaning of the original languages, not a paraphrase.
- Encountering the Risen Christ on the Road to Emmaus - November 21, 2024
- Why repeat the Gospel? - November 14, 2024
- You Must Be Born Again - November 7, 2024