Holding Fast for God & Country…by Pastor Jared Deckerfor God & Country

Do you pray? I mean, do you pray the way the Bible describes prayer? Probably all of us spend some time each day praying. However, in our modern day, we have minimized the importance of prayer. We have also diminished the importance of unwavering faith when we do pray. That issue is addressed in a very clear and defined way in the first chapter of James.

James 1:6-7
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

The Bible tells us here that, when we pray, we are to pray as if there is no option but God answering our request. We are to pray not just believing that God can but believing that He will. Do you pray like that? Or do we pray in such a way that God answering our pray would shock us? It should shock us if God doesn’t answer our prayer. In Mark 11, Jesus taught His disciple about praying for the impossible to happen.

Mark 11:22-24
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Move a mountain? Yep. What were the only requirements Jesus gave? “Have faith in God…believe that ye receive them…and ye shall have them.” Now, don’t make the same mistake that all these name-it-claim-it preachers charlatans make. Jesus had already told them that answers to pray relied first on the will of the Father. If God knows it’s not best to answer your prayer the way you want, He will still answer; however, His answer will be NO. We need to remember that “No” is an answer. Sometimes we accuse God of not answering our prayers, when in reality, He just didn’t give the answer I was looking for. Praying by faith means that I not only believe that God can and will but also that whatever He answers is right and best…even if the answer is NO or WAIT.

Our Lord also had much to say about persistent prayer or importunity in prayer. Jesus told parables dealing with answers to request (prayers) coming because someone would not stop asking. There are times when God does not answer immediately because He wants to know how much you want what you’re asking for. Maybe He wants to see whether you believe He will still do something when others think His silence has meant NO. Do we realize that the same spiritual battle is occurring in our day as in Bible times? In Daniel chapter 10, we find that the answer to Daniel’s prayer was delayed for 21 days. Though the answer was on it’s way, the spiritual battle in the background made it seem like God was not answering. We need to trust in the Word of God when we lift our prayer up to God. What does the Bible say about our prayers?

1 John 5:14
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

If we have prayed by faith (confidence) and lifted our request toward God in submission “to his will”, then we have the promise from the Word of God that “he heareth us”. There is no doubt in that statement! So, Christian, pray on! Continue to pray for the impossible believing that it is possible with God. Continue to pray for that request you have been making for years, understanding that God may be testing your importunity. Continue to trust His love, grace, and mercy when He tells you NO. Keep on keeping on in your prayer life and remember the words Psalm 6:9, “the Lord will receive my prayer”.

In the service of the KING,

Pastor Jared Decker