My Take On It

FAITH

How should I exercise my faith? Does God answer all prayers? Should we really step out on faith? These are questions that I needed to answer for myself. First I would like to settle one basic fact. God does indeed answer all prayer; just not in the way we would expect. Still that leaves me with unanswered questions.

What does the bible say about prayer?

Matthew 21:22 (King James Version)
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

According to the verse above, one will receive anything they ask in prayer if they believe. How many people have prayed for a dying loved one, believing they would live, only to see them die? Or should we assume that those who prayed didn't really believe or have enough faith? I would go on to ask, isn't it God's will for everyone to die? I am not arguing dying at an appointed time. My point is that everyone's life must come to an end. Therefore, praying for someone to live may have nothing to do with faith but God's divine will. But that still leaves a problem. Do we really receive "whatsoever we ask", even when it comes to life or death?

What about praying to get a desired job? Should we assume that we will receive that dream job simply because we believe God will answer? As I have stated before, God does not always answer in the way we would expect. However, the verse above says "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer" as long as we believe. So is it whatever we ask in faith or whatever God desires for us?

So what shall we do? Should we believe that we will receive anything we ask in faith? Let's look at something else.

Psalm 37
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

According to the verse above, we will receive the desires of our hearts if we delight ourselves in the Lord. The word desire is written in the plural form (desires). In all honesty, I have yet to see any solid christian testify that they received the desires of their hearts. Maybe one desire, but this is not a constant thing that happens. If that were the case, no solid christian would be poor (since no one in their right mind desires poverty).

What do I believe about faith? I believe that God works miracles, when He wants to. Therefore, I don't pray or believe for them in advance. (If and when I witness a miracle, I will acknowledge it.) In fact, I no longer believe in faith regarding specific things. I have faith that God will answer prayers when and how He wants to.
I'll give you an example: I met a woman whose son was killed in Iraq. She did so much praying for him to come home alive. Unfortunately, he died there. I had a brother who was there twice, and I did not want to "step out on faith", as many christians put it. I'd rather not believe for something than end up disappointed. As it turned out, my brother came back alive; twice and is now out of the military. My point is, I refused to have faith that God would keep my brother safe from harm or death. I was too afraid that God may not let him live, thus, my relationship with God would be destroyed. But you know what? I had a great outcome. This woman had faith and prayed that her son would live, but he died.

After much thought, I have decided it would be best for me not to believe God for specifics any longer. Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of abandoning my salvation. However, much needed changes needed to be made in order for me to remain a christian.

posted by LorMarie @ 10:24 PM