Don’t just pray, believe

“You can pray for anything, and if you believe…it will be yours.” Mk 11:24 NLT

The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6 NIV). God’s greatest desire is to be believed. You can pray regularly and ritually, and even feel closer to God as a result, yet not expect Him to answer your prayers or for your situation to change.

Peter had been put in prison and sentenced to death, and his execution was scheduled for the next day. So, the church prayed all night for his release. And it happened miraculously. God put the guards to sleep, opened Peter’s prison door, and set him free. Yet when he appeared on the doorstep of the house where the believers were praying, they couldn’t believe it:

“A servant girl…told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said. When she insisted, they decided , ‘It must be his angel’” (Ac 12:13-15 NLT).

Even the early disciples struggled to believe God would hear them. Even when the answer knocked on their door, they still hesitated. And we do too, don’t we? We struggle with prayer. We forget to pray, and when we remember, we rush through prayers with insincere words. Our thoughts disperse like a covey of quail.

Why does this happen? You can pray anywhere, at any time, using your own words, and God promises to answer. So, what’s the problem? We need to realize the incredible power and potential of one praying believer: “Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2Co 10:4 NCV).