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Jam 5:15 And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him. 16 Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much. 17 Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout.
“The wonders of God's power are to be kept alive, made real and present, and repeated only by prayer. God is not now so evident in the world, so almighty in manifestation as of old, not because miracles have passed away, nor because God has ceased to work, but because prayer has been shorn of its simplicity, its majesty, and its power.” E. M. Bounds
The devil's final strategy to mislead believers is to make them doubt the faithfulness of God in answering prayer. Satan wants us to believe that God has closed his ears to our cries and we left on our own things in order for us to work out themselves.
Is this familiar?
- "I pray, but get no answers.”
- “I have prayed so long and prayed so hard without any results.”
- “All I want to see is a some evidence that God changes things.”
- “Things usually go to - nothing happens. How long must I wait?
- "They no longer visits the closet, because they believe that their petitions and prayers have been lost somewhere on the throne.”
- “Others are sure that only the Daniel, David and Elijah types get their prayers answered”
"If God's ear is open for prayers and my faith is strong, when I pray, why is there so little evidence of his answers?"
Job 30:20 I cried to You, and You did not hear me; I stood up, and You did not consider me.
Could it be that there is a simple reason why most of our prayers will be hindered?
Jam 1:2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, 3 knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways. 9 But let the humble brother rejoice in his exaltation; 10 and the rich one rejoice in his humiliation, because he shall pass away as the flower of the grass. 11 For the sun rose with the hot wind and dried up the grass, and its flower fell out, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also the rich one will fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.
· Challenges will come:
Jesus warned us that – in this life we will have to face many tests and trials. It is impossible to avoid life. We can not take a trip to a place where we can avoid life. You will plan your day and then life happens.
· Count it all joy:
This does not teach us to be happy about the problem or the disaster. It teaches us that we should rejoice in the opportunity to exercise our faith. No super athlete, became a success without exercise and hardship. (I watched a documentary on the dancers in Riverdance – at one point they focused in on the toes and the feet of some of the dancers – the blisters, the dislocated toes….. all we see, is the result of pain and commitment and endurance)
· Knowing:
We should know, with the knowledge that experience brings, that the test we face will teach us endurance and the endurance will see us through. Rushing things will lead to disaster but patience will bring results that last.
· Let patience have it’s perfect work – so that you may be perfect, lacking nothing:
Herein lies a key to success. Success in everything we attempt or tackle. Patience will bring success. It is only when we have developed the ability to be patient, that we will lack nothing. Patience develops experience, experience develops knowledge and knowledge develops trust.
· But if anyone lacks wisdom:
Many of our endeavours fail, because w acted foolish, impatiently and without wisdom. Ask God and He will grant wisdom. When we then proceed in His wisdom, our endeavours will be blessed. After all – it’s then done or attempted, according to His guidance.
Prayer that will produce: How do we accomplish that?
1. Ask in faith, without any doubt regarding the outcome:
Mat 15:22 And behold, a woman of Canaan coming out of these borders cried to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, Send her away, for she cries after us. 24 But He answered and said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. :25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me! 26 But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and to throw it to dogs. 27 And she said, True, O Lord; but even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' tables. 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! So be it to you even as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Faith that persists, the faith that will not give up – even when at first it seems as if you are ignored or even have no place to ask that which you are asking.
2. Do not doubt: For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed:
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? 20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.
Doubt is born out of confusion and confusion is birthed in the lack of knowledge and understanding.
If I do not know or understand God’s heart, His desire for my life, the way He looks at a situation, I will doubt. I wont know the next step.
We should have hope in all things and all situations – but the hope of a fool will never breed successful prayer. We cannot pray `hoping` that we got it right and hoping that God will hear us. We have to pray `knowing` that we have been heard, `knowing` and `believing` that our prayer is according to His Word and that He watches over His Word.
3. Humbleness and an acknowledgement of God’s greatness. let the humble brother rejoice in his exaltation; 10 and the rich one rejoice in his humiliation:
2Co 13:5 examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith, prove your own selves
It’s not about my friend’s conduct – it’s about me and my walk with God.
4. Endurance – standing strong: the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown
Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come for your words. 13 But the ruler of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But lo, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Daniel endured, even as a slave, in a foreign country, under foreign rule. He never surrendered. He refused to eat the food of his masters. He refused to worship the king. He denied himself the luxuries of short term solutions – he stuck with the long-term plan.
5. Selfish ambitions: “tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.”
Joh 5:30 I can do nothing of My own self. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who has sent Me.
God`s sovereign will in any given situation, is the key. If I do not know or understand His will, I pray without knowledge.
The final solution to prayer that will produce results is the knowledge of the Father’s heart.
Jam 4:7 Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.
- We have to first of all, submit to God
- We have to resist, resist evil, temptation and any thing that will rise up against the knowledge of God.
- We have to walk Holy – clean – before God.
- We have to be pure – no hidden stuff.
- We have to be sure – no doubt.
How do we do that – it seems like a very tall order?
Joh 14:5 Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You go, and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
- In Him we are made righteous
- Through Him we are redeemed
- Because He is Holy, we are made Holy
- He took our sin and cleansed us from all unrighteousness.
- Because we believe – the doubt is removed.
Rom 10:13 For everyone, "whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
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