Faith In Our Faith

There have been times when I've prayed and the answers were so specific and detailed that it was beyond coincidence. God answered the prayer. God spoke to my heart and the communication was so strong and clear that I was as sure it was God. It was as if He was a person who stood before me and talked. Then at other times, it seemed that nothing happened. It felt like God didn't even exist. There have been times that I've said, "If I only had enough faith."

The Bible clearly teaches that faith is a "must" for answered prayer. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because 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, NIV) Jesus often spoke of faith and even mentioned the lack of faith among His disciples. He spoke of great things being done with just a small amount of faith. He spoke of great faith in the most unsuspecting people. Faith is a "must" if we are to expect anything from God. But how do you get such faith?

The Bible teaches that faith comes from God’s Word. Often we “pray” for faith when God clearly says we are to find it in His Word. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, NIV) There are many times that I have asked God to give me more faith only to hear Him clearly say, “Read my Word.” It is there that we find faith for following Him.

A good example of this is when I became a Christian. I didn’t have the faith to be saved. But when my pastor showed me what the Bible said about becoming a Christian, I had faith to believe. That is the way God intends it throughout our Christian lives. We are to spend time with Jesus, the Word of God (John 1:14), and through that we have faith for life. There is no other way.

But there is a caution. If we are not careful, we can begin to trust in our faith more than we trust in God. That is “faith in our faith.” Or, we can trust in the amount, dedication to, or intensity of our prayer rather than trusting in God. That is “faith in our prayers.” Both look so “right” that they can lead us astray in our prayer life. We must be careful to have faith in God, as revealed to us in His Word. If we remember, instead of seeking the answer in God, to seek God in the answer, we are on the right path.

Jesus said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14, NIV) We must pray “as Jesus would pray”… that is, in His name. He prayed only to glorify the Father. And we can do that as we know His will… and that is revealed in only His Word.