In yesterday’s message from our series in the Gospel of Mark, we spoke about praying in faith and what exactly does that mean? Since yesterday, several people have reached out because that part wasn’t included completely in the sermon notes provided. Therefore, I have decided to simply post that point specifically from yesterday’s message here. I hope that it is a help.
The text we studied yesterday was Mark 11:12-26. This was an application point of the text. Below is the text from yesterday on praying in faith:
- Praying in faith means: We want to be careful when we talk about praying in faith. We don’t want to give the idea that if we just believe in something enough that God will give it to us. So what does praying in faith mean? First, it means having a relationship with God. For God to hear and act on our prayers, we must have a relationship with Him that is based on His grace and faith. To pray “Our Father”, God must be our spiritual father. And regardless of what some people say, not everyone is a child of God. It is only those who have confessed their sin, trusted in God’s grace through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to save them, that are truly God’s children. Second, praying in faith means we are praying the Word of God. Many people say, I don’t know what the will of God for me is, while never opening their Bible. The Bible is the mind, heart, and will of God. Every time we open the Word, we should be praying through what we are reading. How do you do that? To pray the Word of God when you read simply ask yourself a few questions. First, what do I learn about God from reading this verse of this passage. Praise Him for who He is. Second, is there any sin that God is pointing out in my life through this verse or passage? Is there something that you should be doing that you aren’t? Is there something you are doing that you shouldn’t be? Confess it. Finally, ask for God to help you be obedient to His Word. What is that passage telling you to do in order to glorify God and point others to Him? Let me demonstrate it for you very quickly using our passage. In this passage we learn that Jesus understands what we go through, because He went through it in that He was hungry. We learn that God takes sin seriously, He is a Judge, but He also offers grace and forgiveness to those who seek it. Are we guilty of living a life that doesn’t honor God, are we not intentional about our spiritual growth? Finally, ask the Lord to help you grow in your faith and for our church to be a place known for prayer, forgiveness, and a place where people can find hope. Finally, praying in faith means praying according to the will of God. This again is connected to the previous point. To pray according to God’s will means we must be in God’s Word. We must ask God, how are you asking me to apply this text to my life? Praying in faith doesn’t mean that God will give us everything we ask Him for. But when we pray in faith, we are trusting not only in His power to give us what we are asking for, but we are also trusting in His wisdom to give us what we need.
Pastor Justin