In Touch - May 15, 2006

In Touch Daily Devotional 
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Monday May 15, 2006

What It Means to Pray in Faith

Mark 11:20-24

Have you ever — even subconsciously — accused the Lord of not answering your prayers? When you face a troubling time in which God doesn’t seem to respond to your petitions, the first thing you should do is take a good look at the message of your prayer. Are you truly praying in faith, trusting your heavenly Father to work a miracle, or are you simply complaining to Him about everything that has gone wrong? Think about whether you have prayed like this:

“Oh God, the situation at my workplace is just terrible. My coworker shouldn’t treat me in this manner. I go out of my way to help him, but he just walks all over me. I never get any appreciation. I never get any recognition for what I do. I never get what I deserve. I, I, I. . . me ,me, me.”

Sound familiar? You’ve most likely lifted up such a prayer at some point. And when you have, you no doubt found that this kind of praying does not bring about miraculous, sweeping change. Why is that? The answer is in the focus, which in this case is “self.” So, what would be the object of faith in this prayer? “Self.” That’s not the prayer of faith that the Lord Jesus told us about.

Praying in faith means earnestly seeking the Lord’s wisdom and power for your life. It means laying down any claims you have —any personal motivations and complaints — and surrendering yourself fully to whatever He has for you. When you move yourself out of the way, you give God room to maneuver. And that’s when you’ll see His power displayed.

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