Different Kinds Of Prayer

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Tuesday July 28, 2009

There are different types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, and each type has it's own characteristics and requirements to be effective.

When asking God for something, the Bible tells us to pray a prayer of faith:

Mark 11:24 (NIV) (Jesus speaking)
Therefore I tell you, WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

According to Jesus, we are supposed to believe we already have what we asked for BEFORE we ever actually see it! He said to believe that you HAVE received it (past tense) and it WILL BE yours! (future tense)

That is the kind of faith that God Himself has:

Romans 4:17 (NIV)
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-- the God who gives life to the dead and CALLS THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE.

The Bible defines this God-kind of faith in Hebrews 11:

Hebrews 11:1,2 (NIV)
1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2. This is what the ancients were commended for.

According to the Bible, it is impossible to please God without this kind of faith:

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

As believers, we have accepted the fact that God exists and we believe in a salvation that cannot be seen or physically explained. We have chosen to believe God's Word that we are born again, new creations in Christ, whether it looks to the world like we are or not! Our very salvation is founded on the God-kind of faith! We should continue to exercise this kind of faith after we are saved, simply because we desire to please God!

The opposite of faith is doubt, and doubt will cause us to be ruled by our circumstances rather than overcoming circumstances by faith:

James 1:6 (NIV)
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

When asking God for something, we should make sure that the request is in line with God's will (which is His Word):

1 John 5:14,15 (NIV)
14. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15. And if we know that he hears us-- whatever we ask-- we know that we have what we asked of him.

We can ask God for anything with utter confidence if we have scripture that tells us that our request is God's will. For instance, we never need to have any doubts when praying for healing, because we have scripture that tells us it is always God's will for us to be healed and healthy. (Matthew 8:16,17 / Isaiah 53:4,5; Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:5 / 1 Peter 2:24; Acts 10:38/Hebrews 13:8, etc.)
We never need to have any doubts when praying for our monetary needs to be met either. (2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 9:8,11; Philippians 4:19, etc.)
When praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit there is no need for doubt either. (Luke 11:11-13;Acts 2:38,39, etc.)

When we have God's Word on something, we can be sure it is His will, and we can pray the prayer of faith with confidence!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for loving me and wanting good things for me. Help me to walk in faith like You desire me to, trusting You to lead me by Your Spirit. Help me to understand You better through Your Word.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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