Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 12: Have faith in God; OR, The Secret of Believing Prayer

Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22-23)

Jesus points out where the faith in the answer to prayer takes its rise, and ever finds its strength. HAVE FAITH IN GOD: this word precedes the other, Have faith in the promise of an answer to prayer. The power to believe a promise depends entirely, but only, on faith in the promiser. Trust in the person begets trust in his word. … The value of the promise depends on the promiser: it is on my knowledge of what the promiser is that faith in the promise depends.

This is so basic, yet so profound. Faith isn’t grounded in how boldly we proclaim a promise. Faith isn’t grounded in how often we pray, or how ferverently we pray, or how much we “stir” up our faith for something. Faith finds it’s foundation in Who (not what) we place our faith in. First and foremost, we must Have Faith in God.

Faith is…the ear by which I hear what is promised, the eye by which I see what is offered…. Through this opened ear the soul tarries under the influence of the life and power of God Himself…. Faith is also the eye to which God shows what He is and does…. When faith now is in full exercise as eye and ear, as the faculty of the soul by which we see and hear God, then it will be able to exercise its full power as hand and mouth, by which we appropriate God and His blessing. The power of reception will depend entirely on the power of spiritual perception.

The above excerpt was originally taken from two long paragraphs. It’s really heavy! In summary, there is an incredible connection between there ear and the eye. These two senses are necessary to perceieve The Promiser and His promise (hear and see). Next, we use our hand and mouth to receive the promise (ask for what has been promised and hold out our hand to receive it). Take a minute, using your imagination, seeing these four things working together: Eye & Ear, Mouth & Hand.

Faith is simply surrender: I yield myself to the impression the tidings I hear make on me. By faith I yield myself to the living God. His glory and love fill my heart, and have the mastery over my life. Faith is fellowship; I give myself up to the influence of the friend who makes me a promise, and become linked to him by it. And it is when we enter into this living fellowship with God Himself, in a faith that always sees and hears Him, that it becomes easy and natural to believe His promise as to prayer.

These three words had a striking impact on me: Faith is Fellowship. Just meditate on this. Seeing God and Hearing God in fellowship. If you could see and hear God, how much easier and natural would it be to believe his promises?

When [God's Children] desire earnestly to obtain an answer from God, they fix their whole heart upon the promise, and try their utmost to grasp that promise in faith. When they do not succeed, they are ready to give up hope; the promise is true, but it is beyond their power to take hold of it in faith. … Learn to believe in God, to take hold of God, to let God take possession of thy life, and it will be easy to take hold of the promise. He that knows and trusts God finds it easy to trust the promise too.

Again, unanswered prayer may the result of extending our faith to obtain a promise. Let’s not give up trying! Let’s redirect our efforts to direct that faith toward’s God, The Promiser.

Precious lessons that Jesus has to teach us this day. We seek God’s gifts; [rather,] God wants to give us HIMSELF first. We think of prayer as the power to draw down good gifts from heaven; [rather,] Jesus is the means to draw ourselves up to God. We want to stand at the door and cry; [rather,] Jesus would have us first enter in and realize that we are friends and children.

Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 11: Believe that ye have received; OR, The Faith that Takes

“Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

Faith is very far from being a mere conviction of the truth of God’s Word or a conclusion drawn from certain premises. It is the ear which has heard God say what He will do and the eye which has seen Him doing it. Therefore, where there is true faith it is impossible for the answer not to come. We must do this one thing that He asks of us as we pray: “Believe that ye have received.” He will see to it that He does the thing He has promised: “Ye shall have them.”

When I read the title of this chapter, I have to admit that I was more than a little offended. “A faith that takes?” Really? Doesn’t that seem a little selfish? As it turns out, not really! Much of Andrew Murray’s foundation of Faith has been squarely focused on God’s promises. Therefore, there is nothing selfish about reaching out to take the very thing God is holding out to give.

“All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye receive. ” The tendency of human reason is to intervene here with certain qualifiers, such as “if expedient,” “if according to God’s will,” to break the force of a statement which appears dangerous. Beware of dealing this way with the Master’s words. His promise is most literally true. He wants His frequently repeated “all things” to enter our hearts and reveal how mighty the power of faith is. The Head truly calls the members of His Body to share His power with Him. Our Father places His power at the disposal of the child who completely trusts Him. Faith gets its food and strength from the “all things” of Christ’s promise. As we weaken it, we weaken faith.

In other words, many people don’t pray with faith because it’s dangerous! As a result, we add qualifiers to our prayer that dull the sharp edge of faith. God might actually do ‘all things’ if we really believe his promise to do ‘all things’.

Before we can believe, we must find out and know what God’s will is. Believing is the exercise of a soul surrendered to the influence of the Word and the Spirit. Once we do believe, nothing is impossible. Let us pray that we do not limit Christ’s “all things” with what we think is possible. Rather, His “whatsoever” should determine the boundaries of our hope and faith. It is seed-word which we should take just as He gives it and keep it in our hearts. It will germinate and take root, filling our lives with its fullness and bearing abundant fruit.

The only qualifier of God doing “all things” is that we pray God’s Will. And no, praying God Will doesn’t mean we begin our prayer with, “If it’s your will [do such and such]“. Nor does it mean tacking on “We ask all these things in Jesus Name” at the end of our prayer. Murray says that the prayer of faith first starts with FINDING OUT GOD’S WILL! That process begins with surrendering to His Word and His Spirit. Then, when we’re listening to God speak, then we lay hold of His will and promises by faith.

Faith says most confidently, “I have received it.” Patience perseveres in prayer until the gift bestowed in heaven is seen on earth.

Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 10: What Wilt Thou; OR Prayer Must be Definite

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” (Mark 10:51; Luke 18:41).

Our prayers must be a distinct expression of definite need, not a vague appeal to His mercy or an indefinite cry for blessing. … Our expressions of need, sin, love, faith, and consecration must be accompained by an explicit statement of what we are asking for and what we expect to receive.

I have probably prayed tens of thousands of vague prayers.

But the word of the Master teaches us more. He does not say, “What do you wish?” but, “What do you will?” One often wishes for a thing without willing it. I wish to have a certain article but the price is too high, so I decide not take it. I wish, but do not will to have it.

This quote struck me as interesting. Today we frequently contrast WANTS vs. NEEDS. In this case, Andrew Murray polarizes WILL vs. WISH. In a sense, both are WANTS, but the WISH isn’t a serious request. The WILL requires us to excerise something beyond a WISH.

The will rules the whole heart and life. If I really will to have something that is within my reach, I do not rest until I have it. When Jesus asks us, “What do you will?” He asks whether it is our intention to get what we ask for at any price, however great the sacrifice. Do you really will to have it enough to pray continuously until He hears you, no matter how long it takes? How many prayers are wishes sent up for a short time and then forgotten! And how many are sent up year after year as a matter of duty, while we complacently wait without the answer.

So guilty!

The prayer of faith which Jesus sought to teach His disciples does not simply proclaim its desire and then leave the decision to God. But [rather] the prayer of faith, finding God’s will in some promise of the Word, pleads for that promise until it comes.

I love the idea of staking my faith on one of God’s promises and praying for it until I see an answer.

It is often spiritual sloth that, under the appearance of humility, professes to have no will. It fears the trouble of searching for the will of God, or, when found, the struggle of claiming it in faith.

Ouch!

True humility is always accompanied by strong faith. Seeking to know only the will of God, that faith then boldly claims the fulfillment of the promise, “Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Amen.

Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 9: Pray the Lord of the Harvest; OR Prayer Provides Laborers

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is ‘plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

Why does He ask His disciples to pray for this? Could He not pray Himself? Would not one prayer of His achieve more than a thousand of theirs? Is God, the Lord of the harvest, not aware of the need? And would He not, in His own good time, send laborers without the disciples’ prayers? Such questions lead us into the deepest mysteries of prayer and its power in the Kingdom of God. The answer to such questions will convince us that prayer is indeed a power on which the gathering of the harvest and the coming of the Kingdom do in very truth depend.

This paragraph, and especially the last sentence, really hit me hard. Somehow, the coming of God’s Kingdom (His reign & rule) depends on my prayer. The words that I release from my mouth wield a supernatural power. In the name of Jesus, I have authority to release the powers of heaven to do the work of the Kingdom on earth. In many ways, I cannot comprehend this mystery!

But since He entrusted them with the work and made it to a large extent dependent on them, He gives them authority to apply to Him for laborers and makes the supply dependent on their prayer.

In every church I have been to, one of the greatest complaints I have heard from leadership is that “20% of the people do 80% of the work”. And it’s true! This problem has several contributing factors, not least of which is a kind of Consumeristic Christianity that has emerged over the past 50 years. I won’t get on that soapbox now!

The point that I do want to make, though, is that Jesus makes a promise. Did you know that God has never broken a promise? He is completely faithful to the covenant that he made with his people; and, he is faithful to all promises that are bound to that covenant. In this passage, Jesus is telling us that we can rightfully invoke this covenantal promise! And, he WILL DO what he says. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be a faithful God. Is it possible that the problem isn’t on God’s end, but on ours?

Why don’t we obey the Master’s instruction more heartily and cry more earnestly for laborers? There are two reasons.

1) We miss the compassion of Jesus which gave rise to this request for prayer. Believers must learn to love their neighbors as themselves and to live entirely for God’s glory in their relationships with fellow-men.

2) We believe too little in the power of prayer to bring about definite results. We do not live close enough to God to be capable of the confidence that He will answer. We have not surrendered entirely to His service and Kingdom. But our lack of faith will be overcome as we plead for help.

Yes, the problem isn’t on God’s end. Two key elements that we, his disciples, are lacking: 1) The compassion of Jesus; and 2) Thinking too little of the power of our prayer.

Let us pray for a life in union with Christ, so that His compassion streams into us and His Spirit assures us that our prayer is heard.

Amen!

Let us set apart time and give all of ourselves to this part of our intercessory work. It will lead us into the fellowship of that compassionate heart of His that led Him to call for our prayers. It will give us the insight of our royal position as children of the King whose will counts for something with the great God in the advancement of His Kingdom.

Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 8: Because of his Persistence or The Boldness of God’s Friends

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.” (Luke 11:5-8)

Often times in the past, I have read this parable and said to myself, “What a strange paradox! Does God delight in answering prayer, or not?” To ask that question would be to miss the point of the parable. The greatest lesson of this parable is found in the heart of the person put in a position to intercede for someone in need.

[This parable teaches] the twofold lesson, that God does not only want us to pray for ourselves, but for the perishing around us, and that in such intercession great boldness of entreaty is often needful, and always lawful yea, pleasing to God.

Let me tell you a story that happened in February 2009:
One evening, my wife and her best friend decided to make dinner at our house. They planned out the meal, bought the ingredients, and started cooking everything in the kitchen. As they were cooking, they realized they were missing one ingredient: Baking Soda. We searched every nook and cranny of our kitchen without any luck.

Then, she looked at me with that special look that wives give when they want their husband to do something. She wanted me to drop everything and run out to the store, ASAP! I really hate being inconvenienced, so I started coming up with other ideas: “Well, maybe we can use our Baking Powder instead? We’ll just search Google for the conversion ratio between Baking Soda and Powder.” As it turned out, the Baking Powder had expired 3 years ago! So that idea was out.

I scrambled for another idea. “Oh, I know! Why don’t we just ask our next-door neighbor?” My wife liked that idea, and motioned for me to go ask. I started getting cold feet when I thought about bothering my neighbor. Even though our neighbor is unbelievably hospitable and would give us anything from her kitchen without question, it was my own pride and lack-of-boldness that made me balk at my own idea. I quipped back at my wife, “Why don’t you ask her for the Baking Soda? She’s your friend too!” My wife gave me a disappointed look, left the house, and in less than 2 minutes she was home with the Baking Soda.

A Missed Opportunity to Intercede:
My short story bears remarkable similarity to Jesus’ parable. In the parable, we have three people and they correspond to three people in my story:
1. A friend who is hungry. = My wife and her best friend.
2. A friend who is an intercessor. = My wife (after Brian fails to intercede)
3. A friend who provides. = Our next door neighbor.

In my story, I exemplified everything that an intercessor SHOULD NOT do. 1. My attitude was selfish and inward-focused. 2. I made excuses for not interceding. 3. I went so far to place the burden of intercession on the very person that was looking for my help.

I have a lot to learn from this parable!

Passing the Test:

Intercession is part of faith’s training-school. There our friendship with men and with God is tested.

This testing is true in both a natural and spiritual sense. When I was put in a position to intercede to get the Baking Soda, I felt like I was being put to the test! If this principle is true in the natural, how much more in the spiritual! In spiritual intercession, we are put into a position to bridge the gap between earthly needs and heavenly provision. If we can’t pass the test with small opportunities to intercede in the natural, what confidence would we have in passing a big test in the spiritual?

If you are like me, and find it challenging to intercede with small things, let us pray for grace in the small tests so as to prepare ourselves for the bigger intercessory assignments that God is calling his people into. Let us pray for persistence so that we do not quit before we see the fruit of our labor.

Let us confine ourselves to the chief thought: prayer as an appeal to the friendship of God; … It is a life as the friend of God that gives the wonderful liberty to say: I have a friend to whom I can go even at midnight. … If the unfriendliness of a selfish earthly friend can be conquered by [persistence], how much more will it avail with the heavenly Friend, who does so love to give, but is held back by our spiritual unfitness, our incapacity to possess what He has to give. O let us thank Him that in delaying His answer He is educating us up to our true position and the exercise of all our power with Him, training us to live with Him in the fellowship of undoubting faith and trust, to be indeed the friends of God.