Ask in Faith

'Faith starts prayer to work -- clears the way to the mercy-seat. It gives assurance, first of

all, that there is a mercy-seat, and that there the High Priest awaits the pray-ers and the

prayers. Faith opens the way for prayer to approach God. But it does more. It

accompanies prayer at every step she takes. It is her inseparable companion and when

requests are made unto God, it is faith which turns the asking into obtaining. And faith

follows prayer, since the spiritual life into which a believer is led by prayer, is a life of

faith. The one prominent characteristic of the experience into which believers are

brought through prayer, is not a life of works, but of faith.

Faith makes prayer strong, and gives it patience to wait on God. Faith believes that God

is a rewarder. No truth is more clearly revealed in the Scriptures than this, while none is

more encouraging. Even the closet has its promised reward, "He that seeth in secret,

shall reward thee openly," while the most insignificant service rendered to a disciple in

the name of the Lord, surely receives its reward. And to this precious truth faith gives

its hearty assent.

Yet faith is narrowed down to one particular thing -- it does not believe that God will

reward everybody, nor that He is a rewarder of all who pray, but that He is a rewarder

of them that diligently seek Him. Faith rests its care on diligence in prayer, and gives

assurance and encouragement to diligent seekers after God, for it is they, alone, who are

richly rewarded when they pray.

We need constantly to be reminded that faith is the one inseparable condition of

successful praying.

There are other considerations entering into the exercise, but faith is the final, the one indispensable condition of true praying.

As it is written in a familiar, primary declaration: "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him."

James puts this truth very plainly. "If any of you lack wisdom," he says, "let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and  upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth (or doubteth) is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 10)

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My thoughts-

Once more we have to look at this verse--

Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Jesus had asked the man if he believed.   Jesus was asking if the man had faith in Him. The man cried out with tears- 'Lord, I believe!'   But he didn't stop there. This man recognized that he was but a mere man, a man given to doubt, given to unbelief so he cried out… 'HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF.'   If his belief was completely unwavering, he'd have no need to ask the Savior to help his unbelief. He did believe, but he wanted help for any lack he might have in his faith.  We need this help as well.  We don't want to be tossed about like a wave at sea, we want to believe that we will receive all that we ask in FAITH.  We must believe. We have to believe. And we need the help of our beloved Savior to take any unbelief we have and help us in our weakness.

Please, Lord, we know that our prayers must come by faith and without faith it truly is impossible to please You because we must believe that You are!

Help us, give us wisdom, give us faith, give us all we need to be YOURS. We would belong to YOU.

By YOUR GRACE and LOVE!