Believing Prayer
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” —Mark 11:22-24
Faith is the ear through which the voice of God is always heard. The Father speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. The Son is the Word—and the Spirit is the living voice. The child of God needs this secret voice from heaven to guide him and teach him, as it taught Jesus what to say and what to do. An ear opened toward God is a believing heart that waits to hear what He says.
The words of God will be not only the words of a book; they will be spirit, truth, life, and power. They will make mere thoughts come to life. Through this opened ear, the soul abides under the influence of the life and power of God Himself. As His words enter the mind, dwelling and working there, through faith God enters the heart, dwelling and working there.
When faith is in full use as eye and ear—then it will be able to exercise its full power as hand and mouth—the faculties by which we take God and His blessings. The power of reception will depend entirely on the power of spiritual perception. For this reason, before Jesus gave the promise that God would answer believing prayer, He said, “Have faith in God.” Faith is simply surrender. I yield myself to the suggestions I hear. By faith I yield myself to the living God. His glory and love fill my heart and have mastery over my life.
Faith is fellowship. I give myself up to the influence of the friend who makes me a promise and become linked to him by it. When we enter into living fellowship with God Himself, in a faith that always sees and hears Him, it becomes easy and natural to believe His promise regarding prayer. Faith in the promise is the fruit of faith in the promiser. The prayer of faith is rooted in the life of faith. And in this way the faith that prays effectively is indeed a gift of God. It is not something He bestows or infuses all at once, but is far deeper and truer. It is the blessed disposition or habit of soul that grows up in us through a life of communion with Him. Surely for one who knows his Father well and lives in constant close communion with Him, it is a simple thing to believe the promise that He will do what His child wishes.
—Andrew Murray
Journal:
· How have I noticed God speaking to me through His Word today?
· Have I entered into a “living fellowship” with the Lord? How can I tell?
Prayer: Father, how can I glorify You and fulfill the work of intercession through which Your kingdom will come unless my whole life consists of complete and total faith in You? Speak Your Word to me; speak it into the depths of my soul. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
