Becoming One with God
Praying with Faith
Praying with faith is key to having our prayers answered. Because without faith, our prayers are chattering words drifting away with the wind.
Before going to God to present your request, think about who is this God to whom I am praying.
Is he not the creator of the universe? Can he cause the rain to fall and hiring managers to favor my job application? If he can harden the heart of Pharoh, can he also soften the heart of my neighbor who dislikes me? If he is the one who creates every single life, can he find me the right marriage partner, at the right time? Do you really believe that God can heal any sick body, he can put money in my bank account, and he can even cause the Sun to delay from going down?
Let's look at the first five accounts of people miraculously healed by Jesus.
What do you see they have in common?
A Man with Leprosy – he came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Matthews 8:4)
The Centurion – he described to Jesus the problem he had, and Jesus asked if he wanted him to go with him to heal his servant. His answer astounded Jesus.
“Truly, I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”
A Paralyzed Man – when his friends brought him to Jesus, what did Jesus see?
Not the sickness, but their faith. (Matthew 9:2)
The Bleeding Woman – what did Jesus say to this woman, who was healed simply by touching Jesus’ cloak? “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”
Two Blind Men – when they called to Jesus to take pity on them, what did Jesus ask them?
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
These people came to Jesus already believing that he could heal them. They have heard of the miracles Jesus had done for others or even witnessed the miracles themselves. Do you believe that God has the power to provide for you, as he does for others? If unsure, try to begin your prayer with the Adoration Prayer. Adoration prayer reminds us of how great God is and helps strengthen our faith in him.
When even Jesus' disciples could not drive out an impure spirit in his son, the father was honest with Jesus about his doubt: "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" And this is what Jesus said to him, and also to us today:
"If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes," Mark 9: 23
