by Marilynn Chadwick
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6 NIV).
Another hindrance to prayer is unbelief. Put another way, if we don’t believe we won’t be able to experience all God has for us through prayer. “Believing” is the very currency of God’s kingdom. It’s only by grace through faith that we’re saved in the first place (Ephesians 2:8).
The one who doubts, writes James, “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7). We can read God’s Word, hear God’s Word, even memorize God’s Word, but if we don’t believe the word, our prayers can’t take flight. The writer of Hebrews uses ancient Israel as warning. They heard God’s message, “but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).
So, how do we deal with this troublesome hindrance of unbelief? How do we kick out doubt? We can start by reflecting on our view of God. Sometimes, our “faith failure” is due to lack of assurance in the character of our Lord. Do we really trust him to be good and loving, as well as all powerful? Do we truly believe he even answers prayer?
The Bible continually reminds us to trust our heavenly Father. Our confidence in prayer grows as we understand he “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). As we earnestly seek God, we become more certain of his character. We pray, knowing he is a rewarder who answers prayer. A good Father who loves to bless his children. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
We can also grow in our faith and kick out doubt by reading God’s Word. Scripture tells us faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). The words for hear and obey are virtually the same in both Hebrew and Greek, so our faith grows when we hear and obey God’s Word. Sometimes, when I prayerfully read God’s Word, a promise from Scripture seems to come “alive” for my particular need. I can almost feel my faith increasing and my problem shrinking. A friend says it this way: “We glance at our problem, but gaze on God’s promise.”
Praying in detail is yet another way to overcome unbelief. Vague prayers are just a symptom of unbelief. We should pray with enough specificity that we recognize the answer when it comes. Then, we rejoice, give thanks, and share our stories with others (John 16:24).
Let’s commit today to praying the promises in God’s Word, mindful to “mix them with faith.” We hold tightly to God’s promise until the answer comes. Kick out doubt. Dare to believe God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him. We’ll be sure to have testimonies of answered prayers that bring us great joy and give God glory!
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