Have you discovered the peace and joy that come from the act of prayer? I ask about peace and joy because I
fear too many people want to discuss prayer for reasons other than spiritual benefits—too occupied with
possible physical or financial improvements. It is natural, of course, for us to want to learn “secrets of success.”
Even when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, it might have been for the wrong reasons! (We know they
asked unwisely for position and recognition—Mark 10:35–45.)
However, the power of prayer is found not in the assertive faith that seeks to require God to do whatever we
may desire; but true spiritual power is in the aggressive faith which contends for (1) the will of God to be
done (2) as revealed in the Scriptures. In order for this “holy aggression” to be released in a manner
that does not become self-serving, it's crucial we become believers who are fully committed to the agenda of God's
Kingdom alone—to His will and His rule. As that commitment becomes true of us, then the promise of Matthew 6:33
becomes truly available to us: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added to you.”
Word Wealth
Seek, Zeteo. (Strong's #2212; zee-teh-oh). In its good sense, this word means to
seek—as in to worship—after God with all one's heart. In ancient times when the word was used with a negative connotation,
it had the meaning of plotting or scheming. But when the believer seeks after God with the whole heart, strategizing
for and welcoming God's Kingdom as an immediate reality—that's when the Lord can “add all these things” which have
been desired from the depths of our hearts. Write out Psalm 37:4 as a companion reference to Matthew 6:33.
The Foundation for Faith in Prayer
Peter called for a casting of every care upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7).The basis for this act of prayer is founded
in the knowledge of the Lord's love. That's the starting place—the foundation for praying in faith.
Do you know that the Lord cares for you? Only when we are convinced of the Lord's abiding affection for us—right
at the intimate personal dimension of our lives—is it possible for us to come before Him in the simplicity of confident
faith.
Word Wealth
Care, Merimna. (Strong's #3308; mer-im-nah). a distraction, worry. This is the word Jesus uses
to describe the cares of this life that choke out the seed of God's Word. It is the nagging thought that distracts
you from the task at hand. It is the worrying thought that promotes disunity of purpose within, “a dividing, distracting,
fractional thought.” Perhaps this may be the best definition for worry.
Word Wealth
Casting, epirrhipto (Strong's #1977; ep-ir-hrip-to). Actually, this word has to
do with throwing or hurling, a graphic picture of tossing. Casting should not be thought of as a laying down of
a care, but more the throwing away of a care. Perhaps Peter understood how difficult it is to be rid of those cares;
that is, that which divides the thought life. It may take something more demonstrative to cast away your cares
than quiet, meditative thought!
Jesus knew the difficulty we would experience in seeking to rest in faith, believing that God cares about our
needs. Read Matthew 7:7–11 and Luke 11:9–13. The enemy of our prayer life will often suggest that we will not get
what we're asking for. You will hear his whisper, “Instead of getting your needs met, something worse will happen—and
you deserve it!” But as you allow the truth of God's Word to shape your thinking, you will find yourself receiving
Jesus' words; resting while believing that your loving Father will not answer your prayers with a rock, a snake,
or a scorpion. Faith will rise in the confidence that God your Father—who has revealed Himself in the person of
His Son Jesus Christ—will give only good things to His children; only blessing, not cursing, to those who
pray to Him in faith.
A Structure for Praying in Faith
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they had just finished watching Him pray (Luke 11:1).
Do you suppose that they had witnessed something in His praying that was attractive?
In His answer, Jesus gives a very simple structure in which you and I may find complete confidence as a guide
for faith-filled prayer. In the liturgy of the church, we often repeat the “Lord's Prayer,” either in song, or
in congregational response. Think through and then write your own “Lord's Prayer,” following simple thoughts regarding
Jesus' “Guide to Prayer.”
• Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
(Begin with praise and worship to the Father.)
• Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
(Commit yourself to His kingdom, to His agenda, to His will.)
• Give us day by day our daily bread
(Trust Him totally for daily provision.)
• Forgive us our sins
(Confess, and repent of every sin of which you are being convicted.)
• For we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us.
(Release every grudge; hold no punishing thoughts in your heart. Send away every offense committed against
you. Release them from their sin to answer only to God, the righteous Judge.)
• Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
(Ask for grace to deal with any weakness of your life that might be prone to surrender to sin, and ask for
His delivering power to liberate you from every bondage)
• For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
(Conclude with praise over everything you have requested. Give Him all the glory.)
Some powerful prayers have been written using this structure. Why don't you try to write one? Do not write with
the thought that you will pen a prayer that will last a lifetime! Instead, write a prayer, following this structure,
that is good for only one day!
As you do this over several days, you will discover your faith rising in a Father God who deserves your worship,
whose kingdom commands your commitment, whose will is altogether good and righteous, whose daily provision is promised,
whose loving heart has never condemned you in your sins, but has made a way for you to deal with those sins—whose
love compels you to be as forgiving to others as He has been towards you. You will find faith rising in the One
who will never lead you into temptation, but will lead you out of it!
Your version of the Lord's Prayer:
Examples of Faith in Praying
Read the following verses and answer these questions. As you make personal observations, write them down.
1) Matthew 6:5–8
Where do hypocrites love to pray, and what is their reward?
Write your thoughts on the secret prayer and the open reward.
2) Matthew 26:41
What is the connection in this verse between prayer and temptation?
3) Mark 11:24
When does Jesus say you shall receive the things you have asked?
4) Luke 11:5–8
In this parable, what appears to be the basis for answering prayer?
5) 1 Timothy 2:8
What Old Testament image comes to mind from this verse? What was to be true of the lifted hands?
6) James 5:15
Write out your thoughts on the connection between sickness and sin in this verse.
7) Matthew 18:19
Probing the Depths
As you study the context of Matthew 18:19, you will notice it is connected with matters of church discipline
and correction. Yet the principle of two in agreement is an applicable principle not solely restricted to such
matters. It's a kind of holy power that faith can release when Jesus' Name is invoked.
Word Wealth
Agree, sumphoneo (Strong's #4856; soom-fo-neh-o). To be harmonious, to be in one
accord, to stipulate agreement. Our word, “symphony,” is derived from this word. Sumphoneo—agree—does not
imply that the availability of God's power is based upon our agreement. Rather, when believers are
in agreement about something that is God's will, then this promised power flows directly from the Father.
8) John 14:11–14
Jesus gives the invitation, “Believe in Me,” and follows it by promising that the disciples will do even greater
works than He has done. Then He makes an extraordinary promise to them that would energize their praying. What
connection is there between doing greater works and the prayer promise Jesus gives in verses 13 and 14?
9) John 15:7 (Study verses 1–7.)
As with the verses you just studied in John 14, these are also among the words spoken by our Lord the night
he was betrayed by Judas. The “Last Supper” had just concluded. Many think that as they passed the gates of the
temple, on which was engraved the emblem of Israel, the vine, that possibly in this setting Jesus revealed Himself
as the Vine, and instructed their behavior as branches drawing life from Him.
Write out your thoughts on what it means “to abide.” Look up abide in your concordance. Besides you
being invited to abide in Him, what is promised to abide in you that will give you spiritual authority
and fruitfulness in prayer?
10) John 16:23–24
This precious promise for praying in faith was given in the context of sorrow. What does the Lord promise that
will replace that sorrow?
In whose name are the disciples instructed to pray?
Probing the Depths
What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name? Today, as in the culture of the biblical languages, “praying in the
name of” communicates the concept of representative authority. If someone came in the name of Caesar, it usually
meant that they were an appointed envoy of Imperial Rome, with the authority to carry out a specific assignment.
In legal affairs today, if someone is granted the “power of attorney,” it means that they can execute a matter
of business in someone else's name.
To pray in Jesus' name is not to use a mystical term that has magical power in itself. To pray in Jesus' name
is not the license to use His authority to accomplish your personal objectives. Anyone today using a “power
of attorney” in such a self-serving manner may eventually wind up in jail. In ancient Rome, anyone abusing the
power of the Imperial court usually wound up dead!
By reason of God's gentle grace, nothing so drastic immediately happens to anyone abusing the power of Jesus'
name. I've marveled at the mercy of the Lord in this respect, but I should remind you of the story in the Book
of Acts. Some young men tried to cast out a demon “by Jesus whom Paul preached.” The demonized man attacked them
and tore their clothes off! Typically, people who attempt to misuse the name discover God's power is available
for God's will, not man's.
In light of the above study, read James 4:3.
These people are praying, but not receiving. Why?
Write out James 1:6, then study the idea of “wavering” to grasp the meaning and significance of being decisive
when we choose to believe.
Word Wealth
Waver, diakrino (Strong's #1252; dee-ak-ree-no); to separate thoroughly, to withdraw
from, or to discriminate or hesitate. This is a different word than the word “to judge,” but both words contain
the word, krino. On the one hand, we are exhorted to be discerning, while never doubting. We are to investigate
a matter thoroughly, but once we have prayerfully committed the matter to God, we are to cease our examination!
Remember this: Once you have decided to pray, it means you have judged (krino) the matter to belong to
God. To waver (diakrino) means that you now wonder if there is something else you are supposed to do, or
if this is something God cannot, or will not, do. This is doubting. It wars against your faith and blocks the release
of God's power from answering your prayer. Investigate the matter fully (anakrino); then make a judgment. If you
present the matter to God in prayer, leave it there without doubting (diakrino—to think it through all over again!).
In light of the admonition of James 1:6, evaluate your thinking process. Do you hesitate (rethink)? Once you've
given something to God, do you leave it there? If you struggle with doubting, what should you do? Write out your
thoughts.
Having addressed your thoughts on doubting, review the story of Thomas's doubting in John 20:25–29. Take comfort
in this: though Thomas has become a memorial to doubting, Jesus did make a special second trip to the disciples,
just to reveal Himself to Thomas! He won't forsake you or me, either!
Four Prayers You Can Pray in Faith!
1. The Prayer of Surrender.
A. Jesus in Gethsemane
The greatest examples of this type of prayer are the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Read the accounts
of this prayer in Matthew 26:36–42, Mark 14:32–36, and Luke 22:39–46. Not one of us can understand the agony Jesus
was experiencing. Though we struggle against sin, we do not do so from the vantage point of purity as He did. We
struggle to become pure, but Jesus was pure. He had never sinned (and never would)—it was not a part of His nature—and
so He was in agony as He faced the potential of sin separating Him from the Father, as He was about to take our
place in suffering for sin's penalty.
But think of it. Still, He surrendered! In Luke's account, an angel ministered strength to Him (Luke 22:43).
Ultimately, He surrendered to the death of the cross. He was also raised up from the dead. Read Paul's reference
to this in Philippians 2:9–11. In that same passage, where every believer is invited to emulate Jesus by letting
“this mind be in you” which was in our Lord Jesus (Phil. 2:5), we conclude that if—as He did—we prayerfully surrender
in faith to God's will, we also will be supernaturally strengthened, and ultimately exalted—with Christ as well.
B. Mary at the Annunciation
Another great example of the prayer of surrender is found in the words of Mary. When hearing Gabriel's declaration,
this young woman responded, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” While the surrender of Jesus was based upon
complete knowledge of what was going to occur to Him, Mary had no idea what would become of her commitment.
She could not know of the trip to Bethlehem; she could not have known of Herod's slaughter of the innocents.
She would not have been able to conceive of being in exile in Egypt until Herod's death. Only later did she hear
Simeon say, “A sword shall pierce your own heart also” (a reference to the death of Jesus), yet she said, “Be it
unto me according to thy word.”
Thoughtfully combine these two instances of “the prayer of surrender.” There are some things you know about
your circumstances and some things you know about God's plan for your life. With confidence, surrender to Him,
to His will, and to His ways.
But there are also some future events of which you have no knowledge. Still, you will surrender, knowing this
decision will possibly carry you to your own Bethlehem, to violent struggles with forces like Herod, or perhaps
even to what appears to be a “detour” to Egypt.
Nonetheless, be like Mary. Reckon God's promise to be true. Know that His power will overshadow you too, and
that something of His life and power is being born in you—His likeness is being begotten in you increasingly. Knowing
these truths, say with confidence, “Be it unto me according to Your Word.”
Write out a prayer of surrender that is significant for your life.
2. The Prayer for Deliverance
Sometimes, prayer has the sound of authority. The voice is raised, not to God, but against the enemy of the
soul. As Pat Robertson has said, “It is often important to exercise a key to the miraculous—the spoken word. God
has given us authority over disease, demons, sickness, storms, and finances (Matt 10:1; Luke 10:19). Often, we
may keep asking God to act, when, in fact, He calls us to employ His authority by our action with divinely empowered
speech. Then we may declare that authority in Jesus' name: we may command needed funds to come to us, command a
storm to be stilled, command a demon to come out, command any affliction to leave, command a sickness to depart.
“Jesus said, ‘Whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his
heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says' (Mark 11:23). Believe
in your heart that it has already happened! With the anointing of faith that God gives you, speak it forth. But
remember, miracles come by faith in God's present power, not by a ritual or formula of human works or willpower.”
[Spirit-Filled Life Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), “Spiritual Answers to Hard Questions”,
1999.]
Write out a prayer for deliverance that you can pray in faith.
3. The Prayer for Healing
Kingdom Extra
Read James 5:14–15. Just as Exodus 15:26 is called the Old Testament Divine Healing Covenant, James 5:13–18
is viewed as the New Testament Divine Healing Covenant. The inspired apostle affirms that those sick persons whom
the elders of the church anoint with oil, and for whom they pray will be healed. [Ibid., 1901, “Kingdom Dynamics:
James 5:13–18 The New Testament Divine Healing Covenant.”]
“The Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15). That's the promise. What part do you play? If you are sick, call
for the elders. Ask for prayer. Some have suggested that James refers to the prayer of faith as a specific application
for this moment of healing. It is thought that in this instance, it is the elders who pray the prayer of faith.
However, in a situation where no elders are available, you may pray the prayer of faith.
Write out a prayer of faith for healing or dealing with sin.
4. The Prayer for Revelation
Read Ephesians 1:15–17. With confidence, you can pray for “revelation.” Because this word is being misused in
some sections of the church, you may struggle with the idea. But Paul still accurately models for all believers
a prayer that can be prayed in faith.
Perhaps it might help you to hear Jack Hayford's comment. In this text, Paul says he prays for people to receive
“the spirit of wisdom and revelation,” with the dual objective of their knowing Christ and understanding God's
purpose and power in their lives. Such ‘revelation’ refers to an unveiling of our hearts that we may receive insight
into the way God's Word is intended to work in our lives. It may be used of teaching or preaching that is
especially anointed in helping people see the glory of Christ and His purpose and power for them. But in making
such a biblical use of the term as it appears here in Ephesians 1, it is wise to understand its alternate and grander
use.
“The word ‘revelation’ is used in two ways in the Bible. It is important to distinguish them, not only to avoid
confusion in studying the Word of God, but to assure the avoidance of a destructive detour into humanistic ideas
and hopeless error. The Holy Scriptures are called ‘the revealed Word of God.’ The Bible declares that God's “law”
(Deut. 29:29) and the “prophets” (Amos 3:7) are the result of His revealing work, essentially describing the whole
of the Old Testament as “revealed.” In the New Testament this word is used of writings as well (Rom. 16:25;
Eph. 3:3; Rev. 1:1)—writings that became part of the closed canon of the Holy Scriptures.
“Wisdom and understanding, as well as sound, practical speech, recommend that today's believer both know and
clearly express what is meant when he or she speaks of “revelations.” The Holy Spirit does indeed give us revelation,
as this text teaches. But such prophetic insight into the Word should never be considered as equal to the actual
giving of the Holy Scriptures. As helpful as insight into God's Word may be, the finality of the whole of
the revelation of God's Holy Word is the only sure ground for building our lives.” [Ibid., 1788, “Kingdom Dynamics:
Ephesians 1:17–19 The Spirit of Revelation.” ]
Write out your own prayer asking for revelation.
Faith Alive
Finally, faith and prayer are ultimately tools used personally and, most often, privately. Write out your prayer
schedule for the next month. Taking what you have learned, what adjustments will you make in your prayer style?
What corrections will you make to accomplish your goal to pray faithfully and in faith?
From Power Faith: Balancing Faith in Words and Works by Roy Hicks, JR. with Jack W. Hayford. Copyright 1994 by Jack W. Hayford.
