Believe When You Pray (A Bible Reading
Notes
Transcript
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
(They had been unable to heal the demon-possessed boy and brought shame to the name of Christ)
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
(Story of the fig tree which was a sham and needed to be withered up )
The Necessity of Prayer III. Prayer and Trust
PRAYER does not stand alone. It is not an isolated duty and independent principle. It lives in association with other Christian duties, is wedded to other principles, is a partner with other graces. But to faith, prayer is indissolubly joined. Faith gives it colour and tone, shapes its character, and secures its results.
Trust is faith become absolute, ratified, consummated. There is, when all is said and done, a sort of venture in faith and its exercise. But trust is firm belief, it is faith in full flower. Trust is a conscious act, a fact of which we are sensible.
“If the veil of the world's machinery were lifted off, how much we would find is done in answer to the prayers of God's children”. -- Robert Murray McCheyne
“The format of a prayer meeting is not nearly as important as its essence-touching the Almighty, crying out with one’s whole being. I have been in noisy prayer meetings that were mainly show. I have been with groups of silent prayer that were deeply spiritual. The atmosphere of the meeting may vary; what matters is that we encounter the God of the universe not just each other.”
-Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
The power of prayer has never been tried to its full capacity in any church. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let the whole church answer God's standing challenge: 'Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."
—J. Hudson Taylor