The Prayer of Faith

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up... 
                                                                                                [James 5:15]

A recent survey found that 73% of Americans pray regularly, and 86% of these believe that God "definitely" or "probably" answered their prayers, with only 4% thinking "definitely not." [http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00/20000104c.htm] Even allowing for statistical margins of error and for prayers to strange gods, that’s still a heap of praying. But more than the praying habits of others, the concern for you and me is our own prayers. Does God hear? Does He answer? How do we know His will?

Jesus once trekked at least 150 miles with no other recorded purpose other than to minister to a Canaanite woman (Matt 15 and Mark 7). "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed," she cries. The disciples urge Jesus to tell her to get lost, but at length He addresses her: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

What sounds like an invitation to scram does not discourage her, and she persists in her pleading. He raises the bar: "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." To our ears His reply may seem rude, but the term He uses for dogs suggests not a mangy stray, but rather a dear pet whose normal post at dinner time would be with the family, gleaning orts that fall from the table. The food He brings is not for the Gentiles but for the Jews, although we know from the miraculous feeding of the multitudes that the Bread of Life is sufficient for all.

The woman responds to Jesus’ illustration. "True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table." I can imagine Jesus’ grin of satisfaction and love stretching from ear to ear as He softens: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Lest we miss the forest of truth for the trees of actual words spoken, let’s examine what actually happened. Did Jesus intend at the outset to heal this woman’s daughter? If so, then why did He seem so reluctant to respond at first? Was He teasing? If His purpose was to minister to Israel rather than to Gentiles like her, then why does He relent and heal her daughter? What does God want us to learn from the incident?

Though Jesus knew all along that He would answer the woman’s prayer, we must bear in mind that it is not of His character to taunt or ridicule. Rather, His purpose is to challenge her faith and persistence. Our faith is not challenged and strengthened until we face obstacles. Our persistence is not tried until we have met with failure. When the woman’s faith holds and she is granted her wish, we who read the account rejoice at God’s goodness, and we are encouraged to be more persistent in our own prayers.

The Bible says that a person whose prayers are accompanied by doubt is double-minded and unstable (James 1:6-8), and will receive nothing. But doesn’t experience teach us that even a sincere prayer, offered in unshakable faith, does not always get the results we desire? When apostle Paul prayed for removal of a certain "thorn in [his] flesh," God did not remove the "thorn." But who will shake a finger at Paul in heaven and tell him, "Your prayer wasn’t answered because you didn’t have enough faith"?

Actually, His prayer was answered. Recall that Jesus told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (1 Cor 12:9). The answer was not the one Paul requested, but in His wisdom, God’s answer was to give Paul the strength to endure and deal with that particular thorn. I’m sure that strength also served Paul in many other ways in his ministry.

Realizing, then, that God does not always answer our prayers in the manner that we intend, how do we approach Him in prayer? We pray in faith, not doubting that He will answer, and watch eagerly for His answer. I know people who claim to hear an almost audible voice speaking to them. I don’t dispute anyone else’s experiences, but God usually speaks to me in other ways--a convincing verse from the Scripture, a word from a brother in Christ, a stark set of circumstances, or a firm conviction of the heart.* One of these taken alone can be deceptive, but when they all line up together, I know I have heard from God. I also know that I can go forth confidently, taking action in faith, knowing that He has heard and answered my prayer.

*This idea is explored in detail by Henry Blackaby in his excellent book and study course, Experiencing God (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1994).