John 14:10-14 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name I will do it."
In his book, "The Necessity of Prayer," Dr. E. M. Bounds tells a story that had been told to him by a contemporary of his, A. C. Dixon. The story he told is the following: ""A dear friend of mine who was quite a lover of the chase, told me the following story: ’Rising early one morning,’ he said, ’I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across, and giving signs, moreover, that its race was well-nigh run. Reaching the rails of the enclosure, it leaped over and crouched within ten feet from where I stood. A moment later two of the hounds came over, when the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. I felt, just then, that all the dogs in the West could not, and should not capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength.’ So is it, when human helplessness appeals to Almighty God. Well do I remember when the hounds of sin were after my soul, until, at last, I ran into the arms of Almighty God."
In order for us to grasp this concept of prayer as conversation with God we must understand that it is based on our faith in God.
Prayer and Faith are intertwined, prayer depends on our believing that God is ready and willing to hear our prayer. Mark 11:21-25 says this: "And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." 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. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
Just as the fawn had reached that point where it could only turn to one in trust that all would be well, so to do we come to those points in life where we must trust in someone greater than ourselves, for we have spent all that we are and have no more to give. So we must then reach out and believe that the one we reach out to, is able, where we are not. The statement that Jesus makes in Mark, "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." In other words, realize that God hears, that what you are doing is within the heart of God to do, and you will receive that which you have asked.
No, you can’t have a Cadillac, or a Mercedes Benz, but I have a friend whose car had finally given up the ghost. It had over 300,000 miles on it and was not fixable. He prayed for God to bring him a car that he could afford, the next day a parishioner came by the house and asked if he could use a car. The parishioner had purchased a new one and his old one still ran OK and he wanted to give it to someone who had need. He said that he was praying and the Lord told him to bring it to his pastor.
So, in any attempt at conversation, we need to believe that the one we are conversing with, actually hears our conversation. Faith tells us that God hears, and not only that He hears but that He will act on our prayers in accordance with His will. At this point we also must think about the fact that for many, faith is no longer operative. We see in many quarters the failure of our brothers and sisters to keep their faith. We see too that the greater church has many problems, and it seems that God is not operative. Yet our faith should not depend on what is happening in other quarters, it must depend upon our experience of and communion with our Lord.
There is a question that scripture asks, "when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Faith brethren is the very foundation upon which all character depends. Our Christian character is bound up in our belief that Christ is Lord, our very soul is made secure by our faith. We read over and over again of Jesus and his prayers, from the time when he went up to a mountain to pray, to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is our example, he knew His Father would hear Him when He prayed. We know this from what Jesus says at the tomb of Lazarus: "So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." (John 11:41-43 ESV)
The apostle Paul has written that it is by faith you are saved, not by any works you may do. Jesus too says that faith is important when we pray. In the gospel of Matthew we find the story of two blind men who come to Jesus asking to be healed.
Jesus says to them, in Matthew 9:28, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" When they reply, "yes, Lord." Jesus touches their eyes and says: "According to your faith, be it done to you." Matthew 9:29. At the end of Matthew’s gospel in chapter 28 we read these words: "behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Brethren, our faith is what moves us as it moves mountains. We have been granted power through Jesus to do the will of God on earth. When we are obedient to our Lord, when we spend our time and our energies in His service, loving God and loving our neighbor, then we will make disciples, we will be able to effect change in the world around us. However, without faith, none of this will happen. Understand that faith is that which acts as it is told to act, we witness this when we see the man born blind, when Jesus says to wash in the pool of Siloam, he goes and does so and receives his healing. (John 9:7ff). Again like Peter when they were on the lake and Jesus told him to cast his net in John 21, and they were not able to haul in the catch.
Faith is also called on to be patient before the Lord our God, to wait on the answer to our prayer. Sometimes when we are in the midst of life’s tough times, we think that God doesn’t hear our prayer, but, He does, and will act at the right time. We need to have the faith to know that God will do what God purposes to do. One of the stories I love is the one about Jacob and Esau. After Jacob has left for Paddan-Aram to find a wife and to escape Esau, he has a dream. He sees a ladder going up to heaven and God at the top, with angels going up and down the ladder.
The end of this story is: Gen 28:20-22 ESV Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."
We then read the rest of the story, it takes years for all that God has purposed, to actually take place, for much had to happen in the life of Jacob, before he was ready to be truly God’s man and not his own. Faith, requires patience. Jesus has said that if you believe in me, then the works that I do you will do also, and greater than these. Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, to the glory of God. That is what this is all about brothers and sisters, the glory of God.
So if Jesus is truly the Lord of my life, if I am living for Him and in Him, if He is the inspiration of my life, then I will pray for those things that will bring about the kingdom on earth. Then I will do those things that will reflect His presence in my life, and will glorify God in my life. Then that which I pray, which is in the will of God, will come to pass. Perhaps not right away, and my faith will let me wait on God, for I know by faith that His will is to be done in His time not mine. My own story is somewhat similar to Jacob. I was called as a much younger man to the ministry, yet I ran from that calling, right up until God’s purpose was right in my life. Until my life had come to that point where God was once more paramount in my life. It took many years and many lessons for me to come to that point, but God’s work in my life brought me to that place He had for me to be. Prayer, a necessity, if we are truly to converse with our God, faith is the key that will unlock the door.
