Prayer XVIII

In the first article, I wrote on definitions on prayer, when prayer starts and some of the components of prayer. While in the second article I finished my brief exegesis on components of prayer. The third article is centered on those who should pray. The fourth is on some of the reasons why talk (pray) to our heavenly father. The fifth article is on places of prayer while the sixth and seventh centered on occasions that move men to pray unto God. The eight article is on period (time) that men can pray. The ninth article focuses on how we should be praying. In the tenth article I write on a type of prayer, which is the prayer of thanksgiving.

While in the eleventh article I talked about three types of prayers which are, prayer of praise, prayer of worship and prayer of dedication (consecration). In the twelfth article I have talked about the following types of prayer: prayer of supplication, prayer of agreement, corporate prayer, prayer of commitment and prayer of imprecation. And in the thirteenth article I talked about prayer of vengeance, prayer of restoration, prayer of forgiveness, prayer of repentance and silent prayer. Article fourteen focuses on prayer of binding and loosing. In article fifteen I write on the prayer of contemplation. In the sixteenth article I start writing on the intercessory prayer and capped this up with some of the essentials of this prayer in article seventeen.

This eighteenth article would be focusing on the prayer of faith.

This kind of prayer could also be called prayer of petition. Some of the things that we need to know about this prayer that would assist us are the following.

This prayer acts like a catalyst. What is a catalyst a catalyst is something that hastens up an initial slow reaction in chemical compositions. Some of the enzymes in human bodies have also be found to be acting like a catalyst, hasting the break-down and assimilation of foods in the human body.

What would abinitio have taken years and or decades to manifest, a prayer of faith would bring its answers closer to the person. (Mt 9:18-29; Mk 9:24)

Sometimes we used to think God would impose his own will on us, but that is not how God works from the ancient times and presently he does not work like that. He respects our wills and would work in tandem with our wills.

“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Mt. 13:58)

Because the people knew the background of Jesus, they could not release their wills unto him for healing, thus he could only heal few people among the citizens of the town.

Check your will, your problem might be lingering and or persisting around you because you are yet to release your will unto the Lord. If you can release unto him your will today, you will see a lot of changes in all your undertakings.

It would be of interest to know that when we take statistics of people who are talking about prayer all over the world, higher percentage would show that they are referring to a prayer like this, the prayer for faith. Though they would not say it but by implication and referral one would know that it is prayer of faith that people are talking about when talking about prayer. (Heb 11:6)

In the same vein is it that the statistics of those who would think about this kind of prayer when they hear about prayer is high than those who would think of other prayers. When mentioning prayer, this kind often comes to hearers' minds (2 Kings 5:11)

Though this prayer acts as a catalyst and brings answers closer to the person that it should have been in the real sense, but that does not show the time, real time, when the prayer would be answered. It however, gives us confidence and boldness after praying, for we often times receive signs of answering and in case of no sign you would have peace that passes all human understandings that the prayer has been heard in faith.

“Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mk. 11:24)

Through this prayer, believers know that there is nothing like past or present with God, because all he does is now.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

“Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mk. 11:24)

We shall recall that Jesus calls us “gods” according to what the Psalmist and prophet Isaiah say. (Psa. 82:6; Isa. 41:23; Joh. 10:34) It is the basis of we are “gods” that God is using to talk to us here. Jesus is telling us that we are God’s representatives on earth, we are smaller gods on earth. If we are gods, then we need to do as he did during creation. What he did during creation was speaking a word, (Gen. 1:1-25) and then the word would come to pass. He was not waiting for when the word would come to pass, he was not doubting what he has said, he was not checking it often as some of us used to do after praying for something we repeatedly keep checking the thing and where there are no visible changes immediately we shall be thinking that the prayer has not been answered. By doing this, we are not presenting ourselves as small gods, we are not acting like our father in heaven.

Because we value time and looks at time always, we thence watered down what we have spoken to God about and would think the time has past that the answer would not come again, but the bible says, our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. (Heb 13:8). Thence, he is not limited by time like we do he will do what he has said he will do at the right time.

In the next article I shall be continuing with some of the things to note about prayer of faith.