And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
Matthew 21:22

It struck me today as I was reading this that we have grossly misunderstood this statement of the Lord Jesus.

We have assumed that He meant that “If I can just believe hard enough, it will happen,” like Master Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker how to levitate his space ship out of the swamp by believing hard enough to channel the power of “The Force.”

This misunderstanding leads to frustration when we have believe something with all our heart, prayed sincerely, and it just doesn’t happen. We end up concluding that the Lord got it wrong. We end up doubting all His other promises, because this one apparently didn’t work.

Our well-meaning friends will assure us that of course, God could not have gotten it wrong, so it must just be that we’re not believing hard enough. Then we feel guilty, because we don’t have enough faith.

But since when were we supposed to put our faith in our own ability to believe? That’s a Pagan idea!

In the Bible, faith means that I trust in God. I assume that He knows what He’s doing and why, and so I entrust my life to His care. I trust Him to do what is good and right and fits in His plans, as I pray. That is faith.

When I approach prayer with this attitude, not demanding that God do what I want, but putting my request into His hands and trusting Him with my it, I will see unbelievable (!) miracles. I will see answers to my prayers that are far beyond my ability to “believe” them into existence.

Lord, forgive my Hollywood misconception of faith. Give me a heart that trusts myself, my needs and desires, and my prayers, to You. You are God; I’m not. I will look to You for my answers, and trust You. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles