The Prayer of Faith

There is a peculiarly effective way of praying: the prayer of faith.  It is found in James 5:15:  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  What is this kind of prayer?

We know that Jesus linked faith and prayer.  As He explained the withering of the fig tree to Peter, He said:  Have faith in God.  For assuredly I say to you, 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.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:22-24).  Although some might focus on the power of the spoken word ("he will have whatever he says"), Jesus clearly emphasizes the importance of faith, particularly confidence in the person of the Father ("have faith in God").

I remember hearing an Ecuadorean preacher illustrate the prayer of faith by telling about how a child relates to his father.  Accompanying his father on a trip to the city, the child asks for an ice cream cone.  At first the father says no, but the child keeps on asking.  Eventually, the father relents and buys the treat.  The preacher said the child kept asking because he knew his father and knew that the father would buy the ice cream.  Of course, the point is that the child had faith in the generosity, i.e., the character, of his father.  The preacher went on to say that we can be sure that our prayers will be granted when we pray in complete faith in the character of our heavenly Father.

This line of thinking is in agreement with what we are told by the writer of Hebrews:  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (11:6).  Our show of confidence in God by bringing our petitions to Him pleases Him so that He delights in giving us what we ask.  After all, He has told us, Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me (Psalm 50:15).  His strength is made perfect in our weakness, manifesting His grace, power, and majesty.  The Father delights to hear us and to help us, so we can pray with confidence.

But does faith in the character of God enable us to pray with NO DOUBT in our hearts?  Don't we still have to wonder about the will of God?  Our belief in the goodness and power of God gives us hope that our prayer will be answered, but it does not give us certainty.  There is an important difference between the prayer of hope and the prayer of faith.  I will write about that next time.

In the meantime, let us pray in the joyful knowledge that our heavenly Father hears us and delights to work on our behalf.