Before Prayer There Is Faith

'We catch a glimpse of the tremendous importance of faith and of the great value God has set upon it, when we remember that He has made it the one indispensable condition of being saved. "By GRACE are ye saved, THROUGH FAITH." Thus, when we contemplate the great importance of prayer, we find faith standing immediately by its side. By faith are we saved, and by faith we stay saved. Prayer introduces us to a life of faith. Paul declared that the life he lived, he lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave Himself for him -- that he walked by faith and not by sight.

PRAYER IS ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT UPON FAITH. VIRTUALLY, IT HAS NO EXISTENCE APART FROM IT AND ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING UNLESS IT BE ITS INSEPARABLE COMPANION. FAITH MAKES PRAYER EFFECTUAL AND IN A CERTAIN IMPORTANT SENSE, MUST PRECEDE IT.

"For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its requests are made known -- FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD; must have asserted its belief in the existence of God; must have given its assent to the gracious truth that "God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek His face." This is the primary step in praying. In this regard, while faith does not bring the blessing, yet it puts prayer in a position to ask for it, and leads to another step toward realization, by aiding the petitioner to believe that God is able and willing to bless.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 9)

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(Eph_2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Gal_2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

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'Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its requests are made known -- FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD…'

Faith must have gone on ahead before we even begin to pray. We can only pray if we have faith. 

True, a prayer can be made to someone other than God, the TRUE GOD, the Heavenly Father, but the one praying is praying to someone, this is what prayer is.  Prayer is seeking intercession from another. Some people seek intercession from false gods, those people are putting their faith in a false god.  They have faith, just not in the Heavenly Father. We MUST have FAITH first in order to begin to pray.  WE DO believe in the Heavenly Father, and therefore our faith, our belief is in our Heavenly Father.  We petition our Heavenly Father, through FAITH. Prayer and faith go hand in hand.  FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD.

By the GRACE of our GOD, through HIS LOVE ALWAYS!