Faith that Doesn't Doubt

Do we pray with a faith that doesn't doubt?

Jesus taught that faith is a requirement for receiving whatever we ask for in prayer. It was a teaching for His disciples in Matthew: "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt...you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." [Matthew 21:21-22]

"If you have faith and do not doubt." Not doubting is as much a condition for this remarkable promise as believing. James underscores the same principle, saying "he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord...." [James 1:6-7] Jesus’ teaching was for His disciples, then and today-- not casual followers, but those willing to lay down their nets [Matthew 4:20]. When we live as His committed  disciples, we can have whatever we ask in prayer--if we meet the conditions of the prayer promises and the overall truths of Scripture. The condition here is to believe, without doubt--no second-guessing, no "plan B," no doubting that God is Who He says He is, willing and able to fulfill His promises. 

And no doubting that we can live the disciple’s life that meets the conditions--not in our strength, but in His. 

A prayer for today — Lord, help us believe without doubting so that we can be all You desire us to be in our life with You, for we ask in Your precious name, amen. 

Praying Out Loud

Is it necessary to pray out loud?

Of course it isn’t necessary; the Lord knows our thoughts [Psalm 139:2]. But until we are comfortable praying with others, we will miss an incredible blessing in our lives -- and those we love will miss the joy of hearing our prayers for them. 

Praying aloud can be intimidating for people who were not raised to do it from childhood. I still remember the first time I was put on the spot. It was at the beginning of a study course on prayer, and the leader asked us to break into small groups to pray. It came my turn, and I couldn't do it. Silence. 

Deafening silence from me. 

Fortunately, someone understood and jumped in with his prayer. I was left embarrassed and uncomfortable, feeling totally out of place. I wouldn't have come back, if I hadn't wanted to learn to pray so badly. I just hadn't planned to learn to pray out loud. But I finally did. 

We were six weeks into the course before I said even a brief prayer that someone else could hear.

Toward the end of the course, I heard someone pray for me by name for the first time in my life, and I was deeply touched. I began to realize how important it can be for others to hear our prayers -- not because we’re praying for their benefit or understanding, not because they’re impressed by the words we use, but because our prayers reveal how deeply we care. 

Pray with me now — Lord, help us lose our self-consciousness, that we may learn what a joy it can be to pray with others. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

10 Minutes

If you are not now having a consistent daily quiet time, begin with just ten minutes, and use your time for a prayer of surrender:

• Tell the Lord how much you love Him, and how you desire to know and love Him even more. [Matt. 22:37]
• Surrender your life to Him. [Romans 12:1]
• Ask Him to bring any unconfessed sin to mind, and agree with Him that it is sin, tell Him you’re sorry, and ask for His strength not to repeat it. [Matt. 6:9]
• Thank Him for His forgiveness and for loving you.
• Ask Him to hear your prayers throughout the day.

This could be the most important ten minutes you’ll ever spend. God will honor it in ways you cannot imagine.

Beginning a Life of Prayer

It doesn’t matter whether you are a new Christian or have spent years waiting to get serious about your prayer life -- when you are ready, God is there to help. Ask Him to guide and strengthen you, to give you the discipline you need. 

The important thing is to begin, and to be consistent. We’re not talking about the kind of praying we do "on the run" -- for most of us that comes relatively easily as we send up prayers for help throughout the day. But a life of prayer is the essence of the personal love relationship with the Lord -- and that comes from giving Him undivided time and attention every day through prayer and reading His Word. There aren’t any short cuts.

Daily Quiet Time 

The encouraging thing is that we can all begin with just a few minutes a day. Decide on a few personal guidelines for your prayer life: 

• when to have it (same time every day) 

• how long to spend (be realistic; God will honor even a few minutes a day if you are consistent) 

• where to have it (somewhere private, undisturbed) 

Two essentials for quiet time   

There are no rules for a quiet time, but there are two essentials -- a prayer of surrender and time in the Word. These elements will establish your communion with the Lord and set the state for prayer as you 

move through the day. 

1. Prayer of surrender -- Begins with prayer, worshiping the Lord, telling Him how much you love Him and why. It includes confessing your sins and giving Him your life. 

2. Devotional Bible reading – Initially it’s a good idea to follow a plan that will take you through the entire Bible, even if it takes a year or more. Ask the Lord to help you understand and apply what you read. 

Petition and Intercession 

We know that we are to ask the Lord for what we need [Matt. 6:9; James 4:3], and that we are to pray for others [Eph. 6:18, 1 Tim. 2:1]. If you have time for these prayers during your quiet time, that is ideal -- but if not, pray as you can during the day -- in the car, walking cleaning house -- any time your mind is free. 

Growing in prayer 

Our daily quiet time can be a brief as 15-20 minutes, but if we want to grow in our relationship with the Lord and our understanding of prayer it is essential that we find the discipline to be consistent. The best way to do that is to enlist God’s help. He will take us from these beginning steps into depths of prayer we never dreamed possible. It just takes time. 

Helping Couples Pray Together

We talked to a woman this morning who touched our hearts. A few months ago she had been given one of our prayer guides, Praying Together, and she was hoping it was available in Spanish. Unfortunately it isn’t right now (but it may be soon, as she asked permission to translate it).

The Scripture prayers in this prayer guide were written for a husband and wife to pray for one another. We first wrote the prayers for a young married class at our church. They were so well-received that the church printed several hundred sets, and then asked us to put them into a prayer guide format which they printed to share at a family conference.

We have reprinted them many times since then, and the feedback continues to be strong. They are unique because they provide a comfortable and effective way for couples to begin praying together.

The need is great, as my caller reminded me this morning. She said they wanted to use the prayer guides in a class they will be leading soon. She said, “My husband and I think this is important because we estimate 95% of couples don’t pray together.” Our experience agrees with theirs.

It is a blessing to know that something as simple as these prayers can have a kingdom impact on marriages and families. The Marriage Mentors ministry begun by friends of ours has used hundreds of them with their couples over the past several years. They have told us that of all the couples their mentors have worked with, none of the couples who are struggling when they come to them are praying together.

The call this morning was an affirmation from the Lord of His call on our lives to help His people learn to pray. We provide the tools; He moves their hearts.

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