Everyone wants to get results when they pray. To put it another way: we want God to give us what we want! And of course, that can be a selfish thing. If we need rent money, we might pray selfishly or we might pray selflessly, but either way—we really do need the money. And God knows that. Here are two key points to remember about prayer:
- You will never pray “perfectly.” It’s okay if there is some selfishness in your heart. Most of us probably have mixed motives in many of our prayers—we see both selfishness and selflessness in ourselves all balled up in the same moment. And that’s okay. Be honest with God. He understands your struggle to have a pure heart. Mixed motives are normal.
- Sometimes God says NO. And that is true no matter how pure your motives or how selfless your prayers. Prayer is not a spell, an incantation of perfect words perfectly pronounced that magically guarantees the desired result. If you want the power to grant your own wishes, I suggest you forget praying and consider witchcraft. I am kidding, of course. But think about it: there is nothing more selfish than waving a magic wand and casting a spell according to your own will. If you can’t see the selfishness of that kind of power, you have missed the point of faith: As a believer, you are a citizen in a kingdom. Jesus is your King. You are His subject—that is, your will is subject to His. He is the Sovereign and these are His decisions. He will say Yes to some prayer requests and No to others, and it will ALWAYS be this way. SOMETIMES GOD SAYS NO.
Keeping those two ideas in mind, here are four tips to praying with power. I have written on three previously and will add links in the notes.
- Pray with the unquestioning faith of a child, Luke 18:17.[1]
- Pray with the faith of an adult who understands his or her position of authority in God’s Kingdom, Matthew 8:5-10. I believe this is particularly applicable to parents praying for their children.[2]
- Nothing adds power to your prayers like fasting, Matthew 17:21.[3]
- Finally, if you lack faith, ASK GOD FOR MORE FAITH, Mark 9:24.
When you need to pray with power, ask God for help! I ask God to show me WHAT to pray nearly every day, particularly when praying for my children. I want His wisdom to guide my prayers.
But what if I know what to pray, but don’t have any faith? Easy! If you lack faith, ask for more!
A father came to Jesus begging the Master to heal his son. He said, “If you can do anything—,” and Jesus questioned his use of the word ‘if.’
“IF you can? All things are possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the father cried out, “Lord, I believe! Please help my unbelief!” And Jesus granted the man’s request, Mark 9:17-27.
When you need more faith, tell Him. I must have prayed this sentence a thousand times: “Lord, I believe! Please help my unbelief!”
Faith comes from God, correct?
Ephesians 2:8-9 says that faith is a gift from God: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that … is the gift of God….”
If you don’t have enough faith, ASK FOR MORE!
Quote the scripture to Jesus in your prayer. Say to Him exactly what this father said while begging for his son to be healed:
“LORD, I BELIEVE! PLEASE HELP MY UNBELIEF!” Mark 9:24.
ΑΩ
[1] See the brief discussion of childlike faith here: https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2024/03/11/agency-adult-like-faith-matthew-85-10/
[2] Id. (The article cited above also explores agency and authority as “adult-like faith.”)
[3] On FASTING: https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2024/04/03/kick-it-into-high-gear-matthew-1721/
Household Words: 