The Power of Prayer
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
- Mark 11:24 NIV
Before I truly understood the meaning of prayer, I viewed Mark 11:24 as a verse of absolute faith. Perhaps if I prayed hard enough, believed hard enough--that God would answer my prayers. I never stopped to ask myself the ultimate question, "what does prayer mean to you?"
The only reason a flawed individual like myself would have a path to redemption is through Jesus. Christ died for our sins and turned away the wrath of God from us even though we deserve condemnation. He is the only reason that a just and holy God is free to bless us with answers to prayer-- answers we as sinners do not deserve. Hence, anything beneficial or positive we have experienced in life was through Christ's sacrifice; answers to our prayers have never been given by anything we have done.
When I came to that realization, I immediately sank to my knees and thanked God for His overflowing mercy.
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasure."
- James 4:3
I believe that this verse answers the question of what prayer means. You won't get whatever you ask, no matter how strong your faith is, if what you're asking for is simply for your own satisfaction. I have to admit that sometimes I am guilty of praying to God for my own benefit. I have asked him to grant me a job opportunity, a smooth academic semester, and even to solidify my future in a certain career. Looking back, these requests have nothing to do with putting God first. This is what I call, 'selfish prayers.' Of course, there is nothing wrong with asking God to answer our human wants, but human wants only draw you further from all things holy.
Prayers should always be acts of live aimed not merely at our own satisfaction, but also at the benefit of others. Prayers should glorify and thank the Lord for his endless love, grace, and mercy.
Going back to the verse Mark 11:24, "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours," really means that whatever you ask--if it aligns with God's will-- believe that you have received it and it will be yours. This part is hard. How can we have undoubting faith when it is impossible to know God's will? There has to be a basis for faith; you can't just rid all doubts if you are not sure that what you are asking for is what God intends to do.
One of my greatest fears is my future. Over the past few years, I have come across so many lows, shed so many tears, and struggled with deep anxiety. The only reason that I am still steadily plowing ahead in life-- besides God-- is because of my dream of becoming a dentist. In all honesty, I don't have the best of grades. If you compare me with the thousands of applicants with near perfect GPA's, I'm like the crumbs at the bottom of a cookie jar. But I have a strong, strong passion. I'm sure I tell this to God every day, but dentistry has been the only profession that has given me hope and strength. When I interact and care for patients, I feel so happy. When I see a healthy smile, I feel so happy. When I see the beauty in dental restoration, I feel so happy. Dentistry makes me so happy. But as happy as I am, sometimes I do have doubts in my mind. "Am I even qualified to make it to dental school?" Yes, I have applied to many schools and am currently waiting on decisions, but I have this intense fear that I will never be good enough to fulfill this dream of mine. I cope with this fear through a bible verse:
"Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."
- Mark 14:36
This verse basically allows us to admit that although we have no certainty about whether our specific request will be granted, it's okay, God already has plans for us. But what is God's will? Pastor John Piper gave me quite a bit of insight to this question.
1.) God Will Save All Who Call upon Him
- God promises to save all who call upon him. And with this promise, we can set to rest the doubts and uncertainties about our spiritual future with the Lord after death. Through Christ's sacrifice, God's mercy and forgiveness, we have been saved.
2.) God Intends to Sanctify Those He Redeems
- If we called upon God for salvation, we can be confident that He will answer our prayers for sanctification, which is the process by which God makes us into the image of Christ. We can trust God to give us eternal life by praying for our own sanctification without any doubt that God will hear and answer our prayer because from the bible, this is God's sure intention.
3.) If We Seek First the Kingdom, All our Need Will Be Supplied
- If we first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, the necessities of our life will be supplied. I am not referring to materialistic items. (I mean, we all know that materialistic desires are fleeting on Earth and does not guarantee happiness.) God supplies every need of ours according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He promises to supply us with all we need to keep on doing His will and glorifying him.
4.) God Works All Things for Good for His Own
- This means that whenever specific requests of ours are denied, know that God is preparing something better for us. He never stops working for the bests interests for his children. The Lord will always give us what is best in response to our prayers. Never doubt that.
And so I end this reflection with a few key points. The blessings we ask for in prayer, we don't deserve any of that. Only through Christ's sacrifice are we even allowed to have this special, forgiving relationship with God; hence, anything we receive in benefit is from God's mercy and love alone. Instead of selfishly asking for God to fulfill our wants, take the time to thank Him for everything good He has done for us and ask that He help us become more holy individuals and to bless all the unfortunate people suffering in the world. And yes, it might be scary not to know what God has planned for us, but trust that He has your best interests in His heart and that He will never forsake you.
- Mark 11:24 NIV
Before I truly understood the meaning of prayer, I viewed Mark 11:24 as a verse of absolute faith. Perhaps if I prayed hard enough, believed hard enough--that God would answer my prayers. I never stopped to ask myself the ultimate question, "what does prayer mean to you?"
The only reason a flawed individual like myself would have a path to redemption is through Jesus. Christ died for our sins and turned away the wrath of God from us even though we deserve condemnation. He is the only reason that a just and holy God is free to bless us with answers to prayer-- answers we as sinners do not deserve. Hence, anything beneficial or positive we have experienced in life was through Christ's sacrifice; answers to our prayers have never been given by anything we have done.
When I came to that realization, I immediately sank to my knees and thanked God for His overflowing mercy.
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasure."
- James 4:3
I believe that this verse answers the question of what prayer means. You won't get whatever you ask, no matter how strong your faith is, if what you're asking for is simply for your own satisfaction. I have to admit that sometimes I am guilty of praying to God for my own benefit. I have asked him to grant me a job opportunity, a smooth academic semester, and even to solidify my future in a certain career. Looking back, these requests have nothing to do with putting God first. This is what I call, 'selfish prayers.' Of course, there is nothing wrong with asking God to answer our human wants, but human wants only draw you further from all things holy.
Prayers should always be acts of live aimed not merely at our own satisfaction, but also at the benefit of others. Prayers should glorify and thank the Lord for his endless love, grace, and mercy.
Going back to the verse Mark 11:24, "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours," really means that whatever you ask--if it aligns with God's will-- believe that you have received it and it will be yours. This part is hard. How can we have undoubting faith when it is impossible to know God's will? There has to be a basis for faith; you can't just rid all doubts if you are not sure that what you are asking for is what God intends to do.
One of my greatest fears is my future. Over the past few years, I have come across so many lows, shed so many tears, and struggled with deep anxiety. The only reason that I am still steadily plowing ahead in life-- besides God-- is because of my dream of becoming a dentist. In all honesty, I don't have the best of grades. If you compare me with the thousands of applicants with near perfect GPA's, I'm like the crumbs at the bottom of a cookie jar. But I have a strong, strong passion. I'm sure I tell this to God every day, but dentistry has been the only profession that has given me hope and strength. When I interact and care for patients, I feel so happy. When I see a healthy smile, I feel so happy. When I see the beauty in dental restoration, I feel so happy. Dentistry makes me so happy. But as happy as I am, sometimes I do have doubts in my mind. "Am I even qualified to make it to dental school?" Yes, I have applied to many schools and am currently waiting on decisions, but I have this intense fear that I will never be good enough to fulfill this dream of mine. I cope with this fear through a bible verse:
"Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."
- Mark 14:36
This verse basically allows us to admit that although we have no certainty about whether our specific request will be granted, it's okay, God already has plans for us. But what is God's will? Pastor John Piper gave me quite a bit of insight to this question.
1.) God Will Save All Who Call upon Him
- God promises to save all who call upon him. And with this promise, we can set to rest the doubts and uncertainties about our spiritual future with the Lord after death. Through Christ's sacrifice, God's mercy and forgiveness, we have been saved.
2.) God Intends to Sanctify Those He Redeems
- If we called upon God for salvation, we can be confident that He will answer our prayers for sanctification, which is the process by which God makes us into the image of Christ. We can trust God to give us eternal life by praying for our own sanctification without any doubt that God will hear and answer our prayer because from the bible, this is God's sure intention.
3.) If We Seek First the Kingdom, All our Need Will Be Supplied
- If we first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, the necessities of our life will be supplied. I am not referring to materialistic items. (I mean, we all know that materialistic desires are fleeting on Earth and does not guarantee happiness.) God supplies every need of ours according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He promises to supply us with all we need to keep on doing His will and glorifying him.
4.) God Works All Things for Good for His Own
- This means that whenever specific requests of ours are denied, know that God is preparing something better for us. He never stops working for the bests interests for his children. The Lord will always give us what is best in response to our prayers. Never doubt that.
And so I end this reflection with a few key points. The blessings we ask for in prayer, we don't deserve any of that. Only through Christ's sacrifice are we even allowed to have this special, forgiving relationship with God; hence, anything we receive in benefit is from God's mercy and love alone. Instead of selfishly asking for God to fulfill our wants, take the time to thank Him for everything good He has done for us and ask that He help us become more holy individuals and to bless all the unfortunate people suffering in the world. And yes, it might be scary not to know what God has planned for us, but trust that He has your best interests in His heart and that He will never forsake you.
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