The Lutheran Ambassador - December 2, 1986
Even
as our Lord pointed out hindrances that may blunt effective praying, so He was
clear in teaching the necessity for experiencing a rich life of prayer to God.
v The Precious Gift of Faith
There are some tremendous challenges to the Christian in regard to the importance of believing prayer. In explaining to His disciples why they were ineffective in casting out a demon from a young lad, our Lord said, "… if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20 NIV). Again, in dealing with the amazement of His disciples over a miracle performed, our Lord promised, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22 NIV).
When an honest person examines himself in the light of the Scriptures, he soon finds that faith is just what seems lacking in his prayers. He begins to be afraid to prayer. O. Hallesby offers encouragement, "My doubting friend, your case is not as bad as you think it is. You have more faith than you think you have. You have faith enough to pray; you have faith enough to believe that you will be heard. The essence of faith is to come to Christ. This is the first and the last and the surest indication that faith is still alive" (O. Hallesby, Prayer, p.28)
When people came to our Lord during His earthly ministry with their various needs and problems, He invariably told them "Thy faith has saved thee." All they had done was to come to Him with their needs, whether physical or spiritual. The simple but unmistakable mark of a living faith is, in the words of Hallesby, "that it sees its own need, acknowledges its own helplessness, goes to Jesus, tells Him just how bad things are and leaves everything with Him" How much faith do we need in order to pray? "We have faith enough" Hallesby answers, "when we in helplessness turn to Jesus" (Hallesby p.29)
v The Powerful Name of Jesus
Our Lord spoke five times in the Gospels of the importance of prayer in His Name if one is to receive an answer to his request. One of those occasions was in the Olivet discourse near to the time of His crucifixion. Seeking to encourage His troubled disciples, He said, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14, KJV) There are at least a couple of senses in which the expression "in My Name" can be understood. On the one hand, we must come to God in prayer on the basis of His atoning death---for His sake. Those who do not believe in the atoning death of our Lord cannot pray "in His Name". We have access to God because of faith in His blood shed for our sins. On the other hand, to come to God in Jesus' Name is to come on His account. By way of illustration, I can draw from my bank account only up to the amount of my deposit there. In my own name, I can go no further. But suppose a wealthy man who has a big account there gives me a blank check bearing his signature and invites me to fill in the amount I chose. In prayer, our Lord gives us a blank check. "Present your check in My Name and you shall have it" He says. To pray, then, in the name of Jesus is to pray not on the basis of my credit, but His.
To pray in faith and to come in Jesus' Name reminds us that effective prayer is a gift of God from the start to finish. Faith is a gift worked through the promises of God's Word based on the gracious atonement purchased for us at Calvary at infinite cost. In this Advent season, may we be reminded afresh of the privilege of prayer because God sent His Son.
v The Precious Gift of Faith
There are some tremendous challenges to the Christian in regard to the importance of believing prayer. In explaining to His disciples why they were ineffective in casting out a demon from a young lad, our Lord said, "… if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20 NIV). Again, in dealing with the amazement of His disciples over a miracle performed, our Lord promised, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22 NIV).
When an honest person examines himself in the light of the Scriptures, he soon finds that faith is just what seems lacking in his prayers. He begins to be afraid to prayer. O. Hallesby offers encouragement, "My doubting friend, your case is not as bad as you think it is. You have more faith than you think you have. You have faith enough to pray; you have faith enough to believe that you will be heard. The essence of faith is to come to Christ. This is the first and the last and the surest indication that faith is still alive" (O. Hallesby, Prayer, p.28)
When people came to our Lord during His earthly ministry with their various needs and problems, He invariably told them "Thy faith has saved thee." All they had done was to come to Him with their needs, whether physical or spiritual. The simple but unmistakable mark of a living faith is, in the words of Hallesby, "that it sees its own need, acknowledges its own helplessness, goes to Jesus, tells Him just how bad things are and leaves everything with Him" How much faith do we need in order to pray? "We have faith enough" Hallesby answers, "when we in helplessness turn to Jesus" (Hallesby p.29)
v The Powerful Name of Jesus
Our Lord spoke five times in the Gospels of the importance of prayer in His Name if one is to receive an answer to his request. One of those occasions was in the Olivet discourse near to the time of His crucifixion. Seeking to encourage His troubled disciples, He said, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14, KJV) There are at least a couple of senses in which the expression "in My Name" can be understood. On the one hand, we must come to God in prayer on the basis of His atoning death---for His sake. Those who do not believe in the atoning death of our Lord cannot pray "in His Name". We have access to God because of faith in His blood shed for our sins. On the other hand, to come to God in Jesus' Name is to come on His account. By way of illustration, I can draw from my bank account only up to the amount of my deposit there. In my own name, I can go no further. But suppose a wealthy man who has a big account there gives me a blank check bearing his signature and invites me to fill in the amount I chose. In prayer, our Lord gives us a blank check. "Present your check in My Name and you shall have it" He says. To pray, then, in the name of Jesus is to pray not on the basis of my credit, but His.
To pray in faith and to come in Jesus' Name reminds us that effective prayer is a gift of God from the start to finish. Faith is a gift worked through the promises of God's Word based on the gracious atonement purchased for us at Calvary at infinite cost. In this Advent season, may we be reminded afresh of the privilege of prayer because God sent His Son.
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