Praying and Believing

Jesus said to "pray, believing." We can believe with all the positiveness in the world, with all of the conviction in the world, if we are asking according to God's will. God promises, and God cannot go back on what He says He will do. It is impossible for God to lie.

Mark 11:20-24

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

"Removing mountains" is an idiom the equivalent of saying "removing or solving great difficulties." A person of faith can solve, great difficulties.

God, in Jesus Christ, never used the power of God in order to satisfy Himself. He always used the power of God in a way that was consistent with the purpose of God, in a way that would glorify God. Faith is of a quality that is a combination of growth in closeness to God and God's will.

Matthew 9:27-29

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;

Jesus ask whether they believed as an inspiration and a challenge to faith. We will also receive if we truly believe. Jesus has the power to do whatever we ask, and in order for us to have confidence we have to have confidence, belief and faith, in His ability to do what we are asking Him to do. All authority has been given to Him, and with all the power of God in Him, therefore He has the power do more than we ask.

Matthew 28:18

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Faith is knowing that God has the power and it knows whether a request is according to His will. It knows that it is impossible for God to lie, and that He will fulfill His promises. But it also knows and accepts that he is not the only person or event that God is working with and therefore that kind of faith accepts without question the conditions for answered prayer. Delays in answering prayer are times of testing in which faith is privileged to show its ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.

John 11: 6-7, 11, 17, 21-27, 38-43

6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. 

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.” 

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

The sisters requested healing, but without any known reason Jesus delayed. He delayed going to His critically ill friend. It was urgent to those people involved. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will life even though they die.", Therefore, have faith and perseverance, the Lord will answer in His time for He knows the perfect and right time.

Faith is the source that binds us into a relationship God. We must keep asking God to increase our faith, as it is capable of growing.