Praying with Faith

Prayer is integral to our lives with God. It is our opportunity to commune with Him, to pour out our hearts to Him, to bring to Him our problems and praises. When I was a young Christian, someone explained prayer to me in this simple phrase: "Prayer is talking with God". I still believe this (even as I've come to appreciate the listening aspect of my conversations with God - a topic for another blog). But what I'm thinking about today is the role of faith in our prayers. I read Jesus' words in Mark 11:22-25 and two statements fo Jesus' stand out: "Have faith in God" (vs.22) and "Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (vs 24). Prayer, like good person to person communication, doesn't just involve the act of talking or speaking words, there is another crucial element - faith/trust. Although I could start a litany of questions that stem from these two verses, I just want to make one simple point: the faith we have and demonstrate when we pray is faith (or trust) in God. It isn't convincing ourselves that we have prayed the right prayer or straining to exert as much faith as you can that your request will be granted. The focus isn't on us - it is on God. On His goodness, holiness, faithfulness, power, grace, love, truth, etc.He is the One who is trustworthy. So the next time you go to prayer, hear the words of Jesus - "have faith in God" - and see what impact it has on your prayers (and the answers to them!)