The Lord God has not ordained, even promised, that our prayers will be answered separate and apart from our faith. In fact, James wrote about the inseparable link between the prayers that we offer up to God, and the faith that we live out before God: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick (James 5:14-15).
We can define prayer as a verbal and spoken faith. Prayer then, is speaking forth to God what we are fully assured He can do, and will do, on behalf of the faithful. Our
faith-based prayers operate in a mindset of confident expectations. In the first section of his letter, James encouraged believers to ask God for wisdom as they endure moments of trails and troubles. Like prayers in times of sickness, prayers for spiritual wisdom in difficult times must also operate in faith: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (James 1:5-6).
The lesson must be learned; we must honestly check out our faith when we pray. This is how Jesus put it: And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matthew 9:38-29). Far too many prayers fail to produce the right outcome that is needed because feelings were poured out to God instead of faith expressed before God. So, here’s a thought! Why not read a Bible verse on faith, affirm its truth in your heart, and then commence to pray. VHH