Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

                                                                                                                 Mark 11:24-25 

One of the most exciting and wonderful truths for any believer is found in today’s passage. Jesus is instructing us on the importance that faith plays when we pray. Now the passage is not a promise that God will give us a new car just because we have grown tired of the old one nor is it a promise that God will behave like a genie in a bottle, anxiously waiting to grant us three wishes aimed at fulfilling our own desires. However, it is a tremendous promise and privilege given to those who belong to Jesus Christ. To explain this amazing truth away is to ignore a significant portion of scripture aimed at teaching us the power that faith plays in creating an atmosphere for effective prayer.

As believers, we understand that Jesus was indeed God in human flesh so that everything Jesus spoke during His earthly ministry is literally God Himself instructing us on His character, nature, and ways. “In all things for which we pray and ask” is a tremendous statement. God cares about every aspect of our lives and desires that we bring to Him, in prayer, everything from the greatest to the smallest concern. Jesus instructs us that in everything, when we pray, we are to believe that we have already received them from Him. Let that sink in for a moment. Don’t allow your mind to run to the classic objections to this truth, merely allow God to speak to your spirit right now regarding this truth. Don’t explain it away, receive it!

So why is faith so important to God? It should be apparent from this and other passages in scripture that God cares and is quite willing to meet us in prayer and to answer us directly. But why is this issue of faith so important? I define faith as “an appropriate response to a loving God.” If we really understood how good our heavenly Father is, we would gladly run to Him every moment of every day. And that is exactly what God wants for you to experience and enjoy. Nothing beats the presence of God and fellowship with Him. There simply is nothing in all of eternity that is better than enjoying the presence and favor of God. As we approach Him confidently (Hebrews 4:16) believing that He will answer, we are demonstrating to Him our complete trust and devotion. When we do this in the name of Jesus (our Mediator), we can be assured that God will gladly respond to us.

So what happens when we approach God with less than faith in Him? Consider the following: 

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.                                                           

                                                                                                                 James 1:6-8

The context of this passage is asking God for wisdom, however reading the end of the passage demonstrates that the issue of doubt applies not just to a request for wisdom rather it is a principle that can be applied to any request. Doubt is the opposite of faith. It is no wonder that the enemy traffics in fear and doubt. If he can get us to reject the truths of scripture, he can then effectively reduce our prayer life to mere speculation and desperate requests thrown toward the ceiling. But this is not the way God desires for His followers to pray. This passage tells us that we must “ask in faith without any doubting.” To pray to God in the name of Jesus and not ask in faith is an insult to the privilege we have as believers. In fact, those that doubt are described as double-minded (literally two-souled) and unstable in all their ways. People who doubt the character and nature of God lack the power of effective prayer. These people are driven and tossed around (theologically) because they have not come to the place in which they embrace and acknowledge the amazing truth that God is absolutely willing to respond to us and that faith plays a pivotal role in unleashing the power of God in our lives. Scripture says that these people, “ought not to expect that they will receive anything from the Lord.”

The writer of Hebrews echoes the same sentiment: 

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

                                                                                                               Hebrews 11:6 

Faith is the component that assures us that we are pleasing to God. It is the confidence that He is and that He will absolutely reward those who earnestly seek Him. Jesus tells us that this type of prayer (asking, seeking, and knocking) is not limited to a particular group of people but is available to all who believe. Consider the following:

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

                                                                                                                   Matthew 7:8 

This truth that everyone who asks receives is based on the character and nature of God, primarily that He is a benevolent heavenly Father who is far superior in His provision and care than any earthly parent (Matthew 7:11).

But today’s passage instructs us on another key component to effective prayer; our willingness to forgive. “If you have anything against anyone, forgive.” I often wonder how many of us in the church miss out on effective, powerful prayer simply because we hang on to bitterness and a refusal to forgive. I implore all of us to not sweep this issue of hanging on to past experiences, hurts, and disappointments under the proverbial “rug.” It is as important as faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and without forgiveness it is impossible for God to forgive you (Matthew 6:14-15).

Are we really enjoying fellowship with our great God? The promise found in today’s passage is not for those outside of the body of Christ but it is a tremendous privilege that all of us as born again believers are to rely on and enjoy. Bringing all of our requests and concerns to a benevolent, loving heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, knowing, by faith, that He will respond to us will transform our prayer life. Appropriately responding to the love of God by faith, being willing to release all of our hurt and disappointment to Him, and forgiving all others, this is what will bring effective prayer into our lives. “In all things for which you pray and ask…believe!” 

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

                                                                                                         Psalm 37:4