By Pastor René François
Prayer is an integral part of our Christian faith. The word of God encourages us to bring our requests to God by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, and to continue to make our requests known to God. Through prayer, we communicate with, and draw near to, the Creator. And we are given the assurance that through this all-important connection, we will experience “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7).
There is nothing more powerful in the life of a believer than the word of God. When we come to God in prayer, we can do so in faith trusting that God‘s holy word is true and with the expectation that what we pray for shall come to pass, provided we are praying in accordance with God‘s will. Part of trusting God or “walking in faith,” is being unwavering in our confidence that when we pray God will always provide what is best for our overall well-being. Therefore, after having made our request known to God, we can take comfort in placing our burdens and needs into his hands.
Our faith journey often requires that we “wait patiently on the Lord,” which means trusting that God has heard our prayer and that it shall come to fruition in God‘s perfect timing. However, we should not interpret “waiting patiently” as being a free pass to simply sit back and do nothing after making our needs known to God. Faith is more than saying a prayer and then waiting on God to act. God requires that we take an active role in our faith journey. The word of God tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We breathe life into our faith by attaching an action to our positive thoughts and prayers. Once an earnest prayer has been prayed in faith, it is imperative that we maintain the vision in our mind of what we have prayed for, and that we remain diligent about not engaging in any speech that is contrary to what we have petitioned God for.
In Mark’s gospel, Jesus stated, “Have faith in God. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received them, and they will be given to you” (Mark 11:22-24). In this passage, it is important to notice that Jesus does not tell us to believe that we will [in the future] receive what we have prayed for, but that we are to believe that we have already “received” it. Therefore, in your mind’s eye— your imagination—you must see the thing that you have prayed for not as a future event but, rather, as already having come to pass.
Between the time of our prayer and its manifestation, difficulties may occur that will challenge our faith and plant seeds of doubt that the thing we have prayed for will not materialize. It is in these times when our faith is being tested that it is extremely important to remember that as people of God, we walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Regardless of how things look, our faith is in the mighty word of God not in the circumstances. Trusting God and his timing, remaining steadfast in meditating on God’s word, and holding tightly to the vision of what you have prayed for [seeing it in your imagination as already having come to pass] are all key factors in ultimately seeing the manifestation of what you’ve prayed for. Keep the faith, for in God’s perfect timing it shall come to pass.🕊💕