“How Do I Pray In Faith?”
“…and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick…”
James 5:15a (NASB)
Key x-References-Understanding the nature of God as it relates to reality of prayer
2 Kings 20:1-6 (excerpts NASB) *God does not change His mind-but may change timing “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet…came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, ‘Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you…I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’”
Luke 22:41-42 (NASB) *One key is a submissive attitude- accepting God’s will, not own “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”
Key Terms (most words have a ‘field of meaning’ —> various translations) “confidence” (1 John 5:14) Greek #3954 (32x), NASB parrêsia; Root: from 3956 and psaô rhêsis (speech): freedom of speech, confidence:– boldness (5), confidence (13), confidently (1), openly (3), plainly (5), publicly (4)
Key Online Links—Click to access online message and music videos
(to enhance your worship experience during this pandemic!)
Jesus’ Authority Over Disease (key sermon on God’s sovereignty over disease) Chas Rowland, Pastor
Glen Baptist Church 8/1/21 https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=367239288343519&ref=search
I Will Trust In You
Lauren Daigle w/lyrics
I will trust in you by Lauren Daigle w/lyrics – Bing video
Thy Will
Hillary Scott – with lyrics (2016)
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family – Thy Will – (with lyrics) (2016) – Bing video
Even If
MercyMe – Official Lyric Video
MercyMe – Even If (Official Lyric Video) – Bing video
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” James 4:3a (NASB)
Covid 19D Series #3 8/8/21 Questions About God, Faith and Prayer
“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22 (NASB)
Introduction
Praying in faith is basically what makes it possible to pray with confidence!
Key Questions – How Do I Pray In Faith?
- What does “pray in faith” mean? James 1:5-8 (NASB)
It means that we must believe in the power of prayer in order to pray confidently. - Why do we believe that “praying in faith” makes a difference? James 4:2 (NASB)
We believe there is power in prayer because our God is sovereign – i.e. omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent—and He can and does answer prayer! - If God is truly all-powerful, why do we even bother to “pray in faith”?
Matthew 8:1-13 (NASB) *Prayer is often the ‘trigger’ that unleashes God’s power Even though God knows the future and never “changes His mind” (1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19), Prayer allows us to recognize and participate in God’s work in the world. God sometimes waits for us to pray in order to activate His plan, so even though we can’t “move” God or “change His mind,” we can influence the timing of the things we ask of Him, which in turn can strengthen our faith (see 2 Kings 20:1-6). - What makes it possible for a believer to “pray in faith” with confidence?
Luke 22:41-42 (NASB) *The importance of a submissive attitude in prayer
An attitude of submission to God’s perfect plan and purpose for our life.
We must trust in God’s plan and purpose for the world as well as our individual lives, so that when we pray “according to His will” we can have absolute confidence that our prayers will be answered because His will WILL ALWAYS be done!
Key Verse(s) – “Praying in faith” is a complex subject – especially in great adversity
1 John 5:13-15 (NASB) * The primary key to real confidence in prayer
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 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.”
James 1:5-8 (NASB) *”Praying in faith” means without doubting God’s sovereignty
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
“…You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2b (NASB)